 Long dashes are used to mark a change of time and the organization of his novels do not use chapter headings, just blank spaces between paragraphs.Although Hans Kirk was a prolific author - in his lifetime Kirk produced eight novels, as well as short stories, essays, and radio plays - he remains relatively unknown in the United States.With the recent translations of "The Fishermen", "The Day Laborers", "The New Times", and "The Slave" by University of Iowa professor Marc Linder in 2000- 2001, Kirk's novels are now available for the first time in English.