How many words does it take to describe a life? Two masters of the concise form explore this question. Peter Stamm, long regarded as a master of straightforward prose, offers intricate and complex narratives in his latest collection, Auf ganz dünnem Eis (On Very Thin Ice).

Annette Pehnt describes her own book, Einen Vulkan besteigen (Climbing a Volcano), as a series of "minimal stories," where characters grapple with loneliness, loss, and misunderstanding. In a conversation drawing on readings from their respective works, Stamm and Pehnt will discuss the power and the boundaries of minimalism in fiction.