Musil kept notebooks and diaries for much of his life, and this selection draws from them. They record observations of people and places, reading notes, thoughts on art and science, accounts of his wartime service and private reflections on his own work. They show how he gathered the raw material for his fiction and how he struggled to shape it. They also give a close picture of a writer living with money worries and uncertain recognition. The book is useful for readers who want to know the man behind the novels.