When he gets married, a young man acquires a wealthy, tyrannical father-in-law who is obsessed with esotericism. Their relationship soon sours, and violence threatens to erupt. In the mountains, a young shepherdess suddenly and inexplicably disappears. Through these two tales, the author invites us on a journey through the most darkly troubled facets of Switzerland.

Then we follow him to the People’s Republic of China, both in 1982, under the régime of Deng Xiaoping, and in today’s China. His steps lead him all the way to Taiwan.

Interspersed with these narratives are two portraits: one of Paul Léautaud, immortalized by painter Matisse; and one of Ernest Renan, when he is going through a major crisis of faith that will eventually lead him to leave the seminary.

A Manifesto that intertwines biography, autobiography and fiction, all emphasizing the agony and ecstasy of uncertainty more or less explicitly.

This eighth volume of the Manifesto includes two short stories set in a profoundly troubled Switzerland, a fragmented diary of both today’s China and the same country in the Deng Xiaoping years, as well as the island nation of Taiwan; and two portraits: of Paul Léautaud and Ernest Renan.