Hugo Loetscher
Encyclopedia
Hugo Loetscher was a Swiss
writer and essayist.
, and grew up there. He studied philosophy
, sociology
and literature
at the University of Zürich
and the Sorbonne
. At Zürich in 1956 he obtained a doctorate with a work called Die politische Philosophie in Frankreich nach 1945 (Political Philosophy in France after 1945”).
Afterwards, he was literature
reviewer for the newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung
and the magazine Weltwoche. From 1958 to 1962 he was a member of the editorial department of the monthly cultural magazine Du and founded the literary supplement Das Wort. From 1964 until 1969 he was feuilleton
editor and member of the editorial board of the Weltwoche. He next became a freelance writer.
In the 1960s, Loetscher worked as a reporter in Latin America
with his primary focuses being Cuba
and Brazil
. Later, he also traveled through Southeast Asia
. He was writer in residence in 1979/80 at the University of Southern California
in Los Angeles
. In 1981/82 he was the first holder of the Swiss Chair at the City University of New York
. He was guest lecturer at several universities, e.g. in 1988 at the University of Munich in 1999 at the Universidade do Porto and 2008 at the Shanghai International Studies University
and the University of California at Berkeley. Loetscher died aged 79 in Zurich.
Herbst in der Grossen Orange. Loetscher's most famous works are Der Immune (1975) and Die Papiere des Immunen (1986), in which he experimented with several literary genres. This variety of genres also reflects itself in other works: fable
s in Die Fliege und die Suppe (1989), short stories
in Der Buckel (2002), columns in Der Waschküchenschlüssel und andere Helvetica (1983), poetry
in Es war einmal die Welt (2004). In 2003, he published Lesen statt klettern, a collection of essay
s on Swiss literature, in which he questioned the traditional image of Switzerland as an Alpine nation.
Loetscher also had strong interest in visual arts
, particularly painting
and photography
. He was a close friend of the Swiss painter Varlin
(Willy Guggenheim). Varlin painted Loetscher and in 1969, Loetscher edited the first book about Varlin's life and work. As President of the Foundation of Swiss Photography, Loetscher was co-editor of the first history of Swiss photography Photographie in Der Schweiz Von 1840 Bis Heute (1974).
Loetscher was a member of the Swiss Writers´ Association (Schweizerischer Schriftstellerverband), whose president he was from 1986 to 1989. He is also corresponding member of the German academy for language and poetics (Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
) in Darmstadt
.
. After Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s death, legal action was taken against Loetscher by Dürrenmatt’s widow Charlotte Kerr
. The lawsuit’s reason: Loetscher wrote a report about Dürrenmatt’s abdication in Lesen statt klettern, which Kerr claimed violated her “personal rights”. She also criticized details like the folded hands of the laid out corpse or a Stephen King
book on Dürrenmatt's bedside table. The description of the funeral had hurt her dignity. She stated that Loetscher was mistaken; Dürrenmatt had been atheist
, he wouldn’t have folded his hands. Loetscher explained that there had been a drawing that showed Dürrenmatt with hands folded. Kerr supposedly had asked for it and burnt it. He emphasized that he had been a friend of Dürrenmatt for many years. The judges exonerated Loetscher.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
writer and essayist.
Life
Loetscher was born in ZürichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, and grew up there. He studied philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
at the University of Zürich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
and the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. At Zürich in 1956 he obtained a doctorate with a work called Die politische Philosophie in Frankreich nach 1945 (Political Philosophy in France after 1945”).
Afterwards, he was literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
reviewer for the newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung is a major German language Swiss daily newspaper based in Zurich.One of the oldest newspapers still published, it originally appeared as Zürcher Zeitung, edited by Salomon Gessner, from January 12, 1780, and was renamed to Neue Zürcher Zeitung in 1821...
and the magazine Weltwoche. From 1958 to 1962 he was a member of the editorial department of the monthly cultural magazine Du and founded the literary supplement Das Wort. From 1964 until 1969 he was feuilleton
Feuilleton
Feuilleton was originally a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of French newspapers, consisting chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criticism, a chronicle of the latest fashions, and epigrams, charades and other literary trifles...
editor and member of the editorial board of the Weltwoche. He next became a freelance writer.
In the 1960s, Loetscher worked as a reporter in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
with his primary focuses being Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Later, he also traveled through Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. He was writer in residence in 1979/80 at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In 1981/82 he was the first holder of the Swiss Chair at the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
. He was guest lecturer at several universities, e.g. in 1988 at the University of Munich in 1999 at the Universidade do Porto and 2008 at the Shanghai International Studies University
Shanghai International Studies University
Shanghai International Studies University is a research, teaching, and multidisciplinary university based in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Founded in December 1949 as the former Shanghai Russian School, SISU is one of the top two universities that specialise in studying foreign languages...
and the University of California at Berkeley. Loetscher died aged 79 in Zurich.
Performances
Hugo Loetscher’s works were often based on his traveling experiences; he has been called the most cosmopolitan Swiss writer. His experiences are reflected in reports such as Zehn Jahre Fidel Castro (1969) and narrative works such as Wunderwelt. Eine brasilianische Begegnung (1979) andHerbst in der Grossen Orange. Loetscher's most famous works are Der Immune (1975) and Die Papiere des Immunen (1986), in which he experimented with several literary genres. This variety of genres also reflects itself in other works: fable
Fable
A fable is a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized , and that illustrates a moral lesson , which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.A fable differs from...
s in Die Fliege und die Suppe (1989), short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
in Der Buckel (2002), columns in Der Waschküchenschlüssel und andere Helvetica (1983), poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
in Es war einmal die Welt (2004). In 2003, he published Lesen statt klettern, a collection of essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s on Swiss literature, in which he questioned the traditional image of Switzerland as an Alpine nation.
Loetscher also had strong interest in visual arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
, particularly painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
. He was a close friend of the Swiss painter Varlin
Varlin
Varlin was a Jewish Swiss painter.His position in Swiss art history of the 20th century is exceptional: Varlin wasn’t influenced by avantgardist and abstract movements of his time, he coined his stand-alone own figurative work, that was about the fragility of every day life.Varlin was friends with...
(Willy Guggenheim). Varlin painted Loetscher and in 1969, Loetscher edited the first book about Varlin's life and work. As President of the Foundation of Swiss Photography, Loetscher was co-editor of the first history of Swiss photography Photographie in Der Schweiz Von 1840 Bis Heute (1974).
Loetscher was a member of the Swiss Writers´ Association (Schweizerischer Schriftstellerverband), whose president he was from 1986 to 1989. He is also corresponding member of the German academy for language and poetics (Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
The Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung was founded on August 28, 1949—the 200th birthday of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe—in Paulskirche in Frankfurt...
) in Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
.
The Dürrenmatt affair
Hugo Loetscher was a good friend of the Swiss playwright Friedrich DürrenmattFriedrich Dürrenmatt
Friedrich Dürrenmatt was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant-garde dramas, philosophically deep crime novels, and often macabre satire...
. After Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s death, legal action was taken against Loetscher by Dürrenmatt’s widow Charlotte Kerr
Charlotte Kerr
Charlotte Kerr is a German director, film producer, actress, writer, and journalist.She first performed on stage in Fritz Kortner’s version of Schiller’s Don Carlos in 1951...
. The lawsuit’s reason: Loetscher wrote a report about Dürrenmatt’s abdication in Lesen statt klettern, which Kerr claimed violated her “personal rights”. She also criticized details like the folded hands of the laid out corpse or a Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
book on Dürrenmatt's bedside table. The description of the funeral had hurt her dignity. She stated that Loetscher was mistaken; Dürrenmatt had been atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, he wouldn’t have folded his hands. Loetscher explained that there had been a drawing that showed Dürrenmatt with hands folded. Kerr supposedly had asked for it and burnt it. He emphasized that he had been a friend of Dürrenmatt for many years. The judges exonerated Loetscher.
Awards and honors
- 1964 Charles Veillon prize
- 1966 Conrad-Ferdinand-Meyer-PreisConrad-Ferdinand-Meyer-PreisThe Conrad-Ferdinand-Meyer-Preis is a literary award in memory of Conrad Ferdinand Meyer.The prize is given annually to up to three recipients by the Conrad Ferdinand Meyer-Stiftung in Zurich.-Laureates:*1938 Max Frisch*1939 Franz Fischer...
- 1972 Literature prize of the city of Zürich
- 1985 Schiller prize of the canton bank of Zurich
- 1992 Big Schiller prize of the Swiss Schiller Foundation
- 1994 Cruzeiro do SulCruzeiro do SulCruzeiro do Sul is the name of the Southern Cross constellation in Portuguese.It may refer to any of the following:*Cruzeiro do Sul, a town in the state of Acre, Brazil*Cruzeiro do Sul, a town in the state of Paraná, Brazil...
for his merits for Brazilian culture
Works
- Abwässer, Zürich 1963
- Die Kranzflechterin, Zürich 1964
- Noah, Zürich 1967
- Zehn Jahre Fidel Castro, Zürich 1969
- Der Immune, Darmstadt u. a. 1975 (also 2006 in the Book seriesBook seriesA book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher....
Schweizer BibliothekSchweizer BibliothekSchweizer Bibliothek is a twenty-volume compilation of Swiss books, published in 2005/2006. The wide assortment of writers from all around the country is intended to represent 20th century Swiss literature by showcasing twenty of the most important Swiss writers.The collection was compiled by Das...
) - Die Entdeckung der Schweiz und anderes, Zürich 1976
- Kulinaritäten, Bern 1976 (corresponding with Alice Vollenweider)
- Wunderwelt, Darmstadt u. a. 1979
- Herbst in der Grossen Orange, Zürich 1982
- How many languages does man need?, New York 1982
- Der Waschküchenschlüssel und andere Helvetica, Zürich 1983
- Das Hugo-Loetscher-Lesebuch, Zürich 1984
- Die Papiere des Immunen, Zürich 1986
- Vom Erzählen erzählen, Zürich 1988
- Die Fliege und die Suppe und 33 andere Tiere in 33 anderen Situationen, Zürich 1989
- Der predigende Hahn, Zürich 1992
- Saison, Zürich 1995
- Die Augen des Mandarin, Zürich 1999
- Äs tischört und plutschins, Zürich 2000
- Durchs Bild zur Welt gekommen, Zürich 2001
- Der Buckel, Zürich 2002
- Lesen statt klettern, Zürich 2003
- Es war einmal die Welt, Zürich 2004
- War meine Zeit meine Zeit, Zürich 2009
Publications as a publisher
- Manuel Gasser: Welt vor Augen, Frankfurt am Main 1964
- António VieiraAntónio VieiraFather António Vieira was a Portuguese Jesuit and writer, the "prince" of Catholic pulpit-orators of his time.-Life:Vieira was born in Lisbon to Cristóvão Vieira Ravasco, the son of a mulatto woman, and Maria de Azevedo. Accompanying his parents to Brazil in 1614, he received his education at the...
: Die Predigt des Heiligen Antonius an die Fische, Zürich 1966 - Varlin: Varlin, Zürich 1969
- Zürich - Aspekte eines Kantons, Zürich 1972
- Photographie in der Schweiz von 1840 bis heute, Teufen 1974; compl. Bern 1992
- Adrien Turel: Bilanz eines erfolglosen Lebens, Frauenfeld 1976
- Hans Falk: Circus zum Thema, Zürich 1981
Translations
- Le CorbusierLe CorbusierCharles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
: Von der Poesie des Bauens, Zürich 1957 - Ayi Kwei ArmahAyi Kwei Armah-Early life and education:Born to Fante-speaking parents, and descending on his father's side from a royal family in the Ga nation, Armah was born in the port city of Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana, Having attended Achimota School, he left Ghana in 1959 to attend Groton School in Groton, MA. After...
: Die Schönen sind noch nicht geboren, Olten u. a. 1971 - Walter Sorell: Europas kleiner Riese, München 1972 (with Franz Z. Küttel)
- José Guadelupe Posada: Posada, Zürich 1979
Literature
- Romey Sabalius: Die Romane Hugo Loetschers im Spannungsfeld von Fremde und Vertrautheit, New York u. a.: Lang 1995. (= Studies in modern German literature; 72) ISBN 0-8204-2670-9
- Jeroen Dewulf: Hugo Loetscher und die «portugiesischsprachige Welt», Bern u. a.: Lang 1999. (= Europäische Hochschulschriften; Reihe 1, Deutsche Sprache und Literatur; 1734) ISBN 3-906763-78-1
- Jeroen Dewulf: In alle Richtungen gehen. Reden und Aufsätze über Hugo Loetscher, Zürich: Diogenes 2005. ISBN 3-257-06466-7
- Jeroen Dewulf: Brasilien mit Brüchen. Schweizer unter dem Kreuz des Südens, Zürich: NZZ Verlag 2007. ISBN 978-3-03823-349-7
External links
- http://www.lesen.ch/autor/autor.cfm?ID=52ch
- http://crazybiswadip.blogspot.com/2007/10/power-balance-for-peace.html Interviewer Biswadip Mitra