This is a short work from Musil's later writings, in which an introductory text is paired with a piece called The Like of It Now Happens. It belongs to his reflections on modern life, language and the way events are understood. The writing is compact, ironic and probing, and it shows him testing ideas that also appear in his larger novel. It will appeal most to readers who already know something of his work and want to see his thinking at close range.