Peter Stamm was born in 1963 and lives in Switzerland. After graduating from business school he studied English, Psychology and Economics. He then worked as an accountant for extended periods in Paris and New York before returning to Switzerland to pursue a career as a freelance journalist and author. His work has appeared in leading newspapers and journals, and his essays in several anthologies. Since 1997 he has edited Entwürfe für Literatur, a literary journal which publishes contemporary poetry and prose. He has also written plays for stage and radio. Agnes is his first novel. It has been an immediate success in the German-speaking countries where it has been placed high on best-seller lists. Peter Stamm is being hailed as the new 'shooting-star' of Swiss literature.  From German reviews:  'It seems almost incredible that this novel is a debut.... the Swiss literary scene can be proud of this new and unmistakable voice' (Peter Hamm) Translation rights available from Agentur Liepman Maienburgweg 23 CH-8044 Zurich Tel: 0041 1 261 76 60 Fax: 0041 1 261 01 24  Assistance with translation costs - Switzerland  Arche Verlag AG was founded in Zurich in 1944 and Elisabeth Raabe and Regina Vitali have been joint publishers since 1983. While the headquarters remain in Zurich, a German branch, Arche Verlag GmbH, was established in Hamburg in 1994. Arche concentrates on literary fiction by Swiss and German authors and on translation of works by such authors as Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, Margaret Forster and Maarten 't Hart. There is also a strong crime-fiction list. Non-fiction includes essays, biography, music, the visual arts and travel.