Diagnosed a schizophrenic, addicted to morphine and opium, Glauser spent the greater part of his life in psychiatric wards, insane asylums and prison. His Sergeant Studer novels have ensured his place as a cult figure in Europe. Mike Mitchell is a well-known translator of German works and the winner of a number of literary prizes. He has translated the other Studer novels as well.
Mike Mitchell is an award-winning translator of French and German. He is the recipient of the Schlegel-Tieck Prize for translations of German works published in Britain and has won the British Comparative Literature Association translation competition twice for translations from German. He has been shortlisted for many awards including the Weidenfeld prize, the Aristeion prize, and the Kurt Wolff prize. In 2012, the Austrian Ministry of Education, Art and Culture, awarded him a lifetime achievement award as a translator of literary works.