Alienated from society and paralysed by a sense of the author's own insignificance, this book tells the story of his tortured life. It describes his refusal to become a worker in the 'anthill' of society and his gradual withdrawal to an existence 'underground'.

Alienated from society and paralysed by a sense of the author's own insignificance, this book tells the story of his tortured life. It describes his refusal to become a worker in the 'anthill' of society and his gradual withdrawal to an existence 'underground'.