Swiss literature
For anyone wishing to explore Swiss lit - from classics to contemporary
created by mythos
last updated July, 2026
Comments
Works with English translations:
- Heidi (Heidi)
- Der Besuch der alten Dame (The Visit)
- Die Physiker (The Physicians)
- Ein perfekter Kellner (A Perfect Waiter)
- Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe (A Village Romeo and Juliet)
- Jakob von Gunten (Jakob von Gunten)
- Der Gehülfe (The Assistant)
- Homo Faber (Homo Faber)
- Sono il fratello di XX (I Am the Brother of XX)
- Proleterka (S. S. Proleterka)
- Derborence (Derborence: Where the devils came down)
- Die Schwarzen Brüder (The Black Brothers)
I highly recommend Eine Frau zu sehen von Annemarie Schwarzenbach !! a rediscovered novella from her archives about lesbian desire and longing in 1920s St Moritz, really wonderful
Oh my god, how have I never heard of this???? Thank you, this sounds amazing!!!
I am on a single woman crusade to get people to read this book lol
mythosOP
How did you even find out about this book? I've literally never heard of it, but hadn't even heard of Schwarzenbach, despite her being a prolific writer.
I found it while browsing in a bookshop in Basel, but I vaguely remember having heard of Schwarzenbach before and that's why it sparked my interest I think? Though I don't remember how I came across her name for the first time, it was likely through her photography (some of which is actually also featured in the book)
mythosOP
Ahaa, ok. Guess I should go to physical bookstores more often then 🙈 that's a great find!
you should !! I have found some of my all time favorites in bookshops by picking stuff up I had never heard of before simply because the blurb spoke to me (crucial: open the book in the shop and read the beginning and see if you like the writing! this has saved me many times from buying things I thought I would like based on the description but would not have found any pleasure in reading)
she is a very interesting if tragic figure though, this article from the NYT is a good intro: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/10/obituaries/annemarie-schwarzenbach-overlooked.html
comment has been deleted.
mythosOP
Oooh, never heard of that either. I'll have to look into finding a translation, if possible! Thanks for the rec :)
comment has been deleted.
Ah, no, I'm actually Swiss, I just don't speak Italian, and my knowledge of Swiss literature is only just budding in all 3/4 languages, so I didn't leave out the Italophones on purpose. Or what did you mean by that? 😅 Do I understand correctly that you're also Swiss?
Hi! I've only read one of them, but you can add books by Jeanne Perrin. 🇨🇭
mythosOP
Ooooh, which have you read? I saw her name floating around a bit and wondered what exactly she wrote. Apparently some fantasy series?
I read Nuit Nimraokhen which was given to me, otherwise I don't think I would've heard of it. 🫣 I believe it's the first of a series.
I found the world building a bit confusing at first but it was quite original.
Ahh, yeah, the back-cover already seems a bit complicated, but I'm adding it (and I might read it, too, if I can get my hands on it). Thanks for the suggestion!
FYI she will do a signing at the Salon du Livre de Genève in March. 📝
