Over the years I have been reading about Switzerland and watching Swiss films. Here are some works I know. Perhaps others can add to the list? If I make a mistake about the author or title, feel free to correct it...
Dr. Fischer and the Geneva Bomb Party -- Graham Greene
Hotel du Lac -- Anita Brookner
Novels by Frederich Durrenmatt: The Pledge, The Visit, The Breakdown, The Judge and His Executioner
Novels by Max Frisch: Homo Farber
The Swissmakers (subtitled in English), comedy about interactions between Swiss and foreigners
Bread and Chocolate (Italian immigrant's experiences in Switzerland)
Achtung! Charlie (young man's Army experience)
My name is Eugen -- adventures of a young boy and his friends on a scouting outing
Those are the one's I know off the top of my head... cheers, Val
Global Forums > General > Switzerland in Literature and on the Screen -- Start of List
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Switzerland in Literature and on the Screen -- Start of List
Sep 30, 2007 @ 19:05
The text you are quoting:
Over the years I have been reading about Switzerland and watching Swiss films. Here are some works I know. Perhaps others can add to the list? If I make a mistake about the author or title, feel free to correct it...
Dr. Fischer and the Geneva Bomb Party -- Graham Greene
Hotel du Lac -- Anita Brookner
Novels by Frederich Durrenmatt: The Pledge, The Visit, The Breakdown, The Judge and His Executioner
Novels by Max Frisch: Homo Farber
The Swissmakers (subtitled in English), comedy about interactions between Swiss and foreigners
Bread and Chocolate (Italian immigrant's experiences in Switzerland)
Achtung! Charlie (young man's Army experience)
My name is Eugen -- adventures of a young boy and his friends on a scouting outing
Those are the one's I know off the top of my head... cheers, Val
TranslatorSep 30, 2007 @ 19:05
Dr. Fischer and the Geneva Bomb Party -- Graham Greene
Hotel du Lac -- Anita Brookner
Novels by Frederich Durrenmatt: The Pledge, The Visit, The Breakdown, The Judge and His Executioner
Novels by Max Frisch: Homo Farber
The Swissmakers (subtitled in English), comedy about interactions between Swiss and foreigners
Bread and Chocolate (Italian immigrant's experiences in Switzerland)
Achtung! Charlie (young man's Army experience)
My name is Eugen -- adventures of a young boy and his friends on a scouting outing
Those are the one's I know off the top of my head... cheers, Val
TranslatorSep 30, 2007 @ 19:05
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Re: Switzerland in Literature and on the Screen -- Start of List
Post 1
Sep 30, 2007 @ 22:33
Rather than doing a list of names, I will focus on the only Swiss author I really worship: Nicolas Bouvier, and especially his masterpiece L’usage du monde (engl. The Way Of The World).
Nicolas Bouvier is recognized as one of the greatest travel writers. L’usage du monde deals with the first part of a 3 years travel he did in 1953-55, going to Sri Lanka by car and then to Japan by boat.
The guy has an amazingly keen sense of observation. In 2 pages he wrote about the mishaps of an American aid worker in 50’s Iran, you understand much better than with all the newspaper’s articles you’ll ever read why US claim to impose democracy in the Middle East couldn’t work. All of this without ever accusing or criticizing anybody, just through his unbelievable understanding of others.
In my view, he’s also the person who wrote best in French since Proust and Flaubert. Many of his sentences are just marvels, stunningly simple and beautiful at the same time.
He also wrote a book on his stay in Sri Lanka (Le poisson-scorpion, The Scorpion Fish) – he began to loose his head there, one book about his stays in Japan (Chronique japonaise, The Japanese Chronicles), plus various shorter texts.
Nicolas Bouvier is recognized as one of the greatest travel writers. L’usage du monde deals with the first part of a 3 years travel he did in 1953-55, going to Sri Lanka by car and then to Japan by boat.
The guy has an amazingly keen sense of observation. In 2 pages he wrote about the mishaps of an American aid worker in 50’s Iran, you understand much better than with all the newspaper’s articles you’ll ever read why US claim to impose democracy in the Middle East couldn’t work. All of this without ever accusing or criticizing anybody, just through his unbelievable understanding of others.
In my view, he’s also the person who wrote best in French since Proust and Flaubert. Many of his sentences are just marvels, stunningly simple and beautiful at the same time.
He also wrote a book on his stay in Sri Lanka (Le poisson-scorpion, The Scorpion Fish) – he began to loose his head there, one book about his stays in Japan (Chronique japonaise, The Japanese Chronicles), plus various shorter texts.
The text you are quoting:
Rather than doing a list of names, I will focus on the only Swiss author I really worship: Nicolas Bouvier, and especially his masterpiece L’usage du monde (engl. The Way Of The World).
Nicolas Bouvier is recognized as one of the greatest travel writers. L’usage du monde deals with the first part of a 3 years travel he did in 1953-55, going to Sri Lanka by car and then to Japan by boat.
The guy has an amazingly keen sense of observation. In 2 pages he wrote about the mishaps of an American aid worker in 50’s Iran, you understand much better than with all the newspaper’s articles you’ll ever read why US claim to impose democracy in the Middle East couldn’t work. All of this without ever accusing or criticizing anybody, just through his unbelievable understanding of others.
In my view, he’s also the person who wrote best in French since Proust and Flaubert. Many of his sentences are just marvels, stunningly simple and beautiful at the same time.
He also wrote a book on his stay in Sri Lanka (Le poisson-scorpion, The Scorpion Fish) – he began to loose his head there, one book about his stays in Japan (Chronique japonaise, The Japanese Chronicles), plus various shorter texts.
Bustan_A, Sep 30, 2007 @ 22:33
Nicolas Bouvier is recognized as one of the greatest travel writers. L’usage du monde deals with the first part of a 3 years travel he did in 1953-55, going to Sri Lanka by car and then to Japan by boat.
The guy has an amazingly keen sense of observation. In 2 pages he wrote about the mishaps of an American aid worker in 50’s Iran, you understand much better than with all the newspaper’s articles you’ll ever read why US claim to impose democracy in the Middle East couldn’t work. All of this without ever accusing or criticizing anybody, just through his unbelievable understanding of others.
In my view, he’s also the person who wrote best in French since Proust and Flaubert. Many of his sentences are just marvels, stunningly simple and beautiful at the same time.
He also wrote a book on his stay in Sri Lanka (Le poisson-scorpion, The Scorpion Fish) – he began to loose his head there, one book about his stays in Japan (Chronique japonaise, The Japanese Chronicles), plus various shorter texts.
Bustan_A, Sep 30, 2007 @ 22:33
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Re: Switzerland in Literature and on the Screen -- Start of List
Post 2
Sep 30, 2007 @ 22:38
Foreign movies about Switzerland often keep to the cliches or misunderstand the country. And I usually find Swiss films really, really bad. Two exceptions:
-Miel et cendres by Nadia Fares. The director and the funding are maybe the only swiss things in the movie. It takes place in an undefined country of North Africa and tells the story of a girl who flees her family after having been raped. Extremely powerful and well done.
-Garcon stupide by Lionel Baier, the story of a mentally limited gay youngster, who has to find his own way in life. Very crude (lot of sex) and very subtle (in the analysis of the character) at the same time.
Else, swiss directors are good for documentaries: see for example Daniel Schweizer movies about the skinheads and the extreme of extreme right, which required years of investigation and mixing with these circles.
-Miel et cendres by Nadia Fares. The director and the funding are maybe the only swiss things in the movie. It takes place in an undefined country of North Africa and tells the story of a girl who flees her family after having been raped. Extremely powerful and well done.
-Garcon stupide by Lionel Baier, the story of a mentally limited gay youngster, who has to find his own way in life. Very crude (lot of sex) and very subtle (in the analysis of the character) at the same time.
Else, swiss directors are good for documentaries: see for example Daniel Schweizer movies about the skinheads and the extreme of extreme right, which required years of investigation and mixing with these circles.
The text you are quoting:
Foreign movies about Switzerland often keep to the cliches or misunderstand the country. And I usually find Swiss films really, really bad. Two exceptions:
-Miel et cendres by Nadia Fares. The director and the funding are maybe the only swiss things in the movie. It takes place in an undefined country of North Africa and tells the story of a girl who flees her family after having been raped. Extremely powerful and well done.
-Garcon stupide by Lionel Baier, the story of a mentally limited gay youngster, who has to find his own way in life. Very crude (lot of sex) and very subtle (in the analysis of the character) at the same time.
Else, swiss directors are good for documentaries: see for example Daniel Schweizer movies about the skinheads and the extreme of extreme right, which required years of investigation and mixing with these circles.
Bustan_A, Sep 30, 2007 @ 22:38
-Miel et cendres by Nadia Fares. The director and the funding are maybe the only swiss things in the movie. It takes place in an undefined country of North Africa and tells the story of a girl who flees her family after having been raped. Extremely powerful and well done.
-Garcon stupide by Lionel Baier, the story of a mentally limited gay youngster, who has to find his own way in life. Very crude (lot of sex) and very subtle (in the analysis of the character) at the same time.
Else, swiss directors are good for documentaries: see for example Daniel Schweizer movies about the skinheads and the extreme of extreme right, which required years of investigation and mixing with these circles.
Bustan_A, Sep 30, 2007 @ 22:38
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Re: Switzerland in Literature and on the Screen -- Start of List
Post 3
Oct 1, 2007 @ 22:34
also great writers!
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Re: Switzerland in Literature and on the Screen -- Start of List
Post 4
Oct 2, 2007 @ 14:26
Bernard Clavel is French (nt)
