Peter Bichsel’s Followers (55)

Peter Bichsel

Born

in Lucerne, Switzerland

March 24, 1935

Died

March 15, 2025

edit data

Peter Bichsel was a popular Swiss writer and journalist representing modern German literature. He was a member of the Gruppe Olten.
Bichsel was born in 1935 in Lucerne, Switzerland, the son of manual labourers. Shortly after he was born, the Bichsels moved to Olten, also in Switzerland. After finishing school, he became an elementary school teacher, a job he held until 1968. From 1974 to 1981 he was the personal advisor and speech writer of Willy Ritschard, a member of the Swiss Federal Council. Between 1972 and 1989 he made his mark as a "writer in residence" and a guest lecturer at American universities. Bichsel lived on the outskirts of Solothurn for several decades.
He started publishing short lyric works in newspapers. In 1960, he got hi Peter Bichsel was a popular Swiss writer and journalist representing modern German literature. He was a member of the Gruppe Olten.
Bichsel was born in 1935 in Lucerne, Switzerland, the son of manual labourers. Shortly after he was born, the Bichsels moved to Olten, also in Switzerland. After finishing school, he became an elementary school teacher, a job he held until 1968. From 1974 to 1981 he was the personal advisor and speech writer of Willy Ritschard, a member of the Swiss Federal Council. Between 1972 and 1989 he made his mark as a "writer in residence" and a guest lecturer at American universities. Bichsel lived on the outskirts of Solothurn for several decades.
He started publishing short lyric works in newspapers. In 1960, he got his first success in prose as a private printer. In the winter of 1963–1964, he took part in a writing course in prose taught by Walter Höllerer.
One of his first and best-known works is And Really Frau Blum Would Very Much Like to Meet the Milkman. Published only in a modest edition in 1964, the book was quickly sold out. The reason was an enthusiastic review by Marcel Reich-Ranicki. Just as successful, Children's Stories, intended for adults, is written in the form of droll tales for children. Both books were translated from German by the English poet Michael Hamburger. A theme of Bichsel's works for younger readers is the stubborn desire of children to take words literally and wreak havoc on the world of communicated ideas. In the early 1970s and 1980s, Bichsel's journalistic work pushed his literary work mainly into the background. Only Der Busant (1985) and Warten in Baden-Baden appeared again with the Bichsel style that was so familiar to German readers. Peter Bichsel gave up being a professional teacher early in his lifetime, later he continued to teach his readers that the drudgery and banality of life are of our own making. He used often a simple sentence structure 'subject-predicate-object' and was a passionate observer of Switzerland.
In 1981, he was a member of the jury at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival.
Peter Bichsel's estate is archived in the Swiss Literary Archives in Bern. ...more

Combine Editions
Peter Bichsel’s books

Average rating: 3.66 · 2,163 ratings · 326 reviews · 87 distinct works • Similar authors

	Kindergeschichten 3.91 avg rating — 720 ratings — published 1969 — 51 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	And Really Frau Blum Would Very Much Like to Meet the Milkman: 21 Short Stories 3.61 avg rating — 366 ratings — published 1964 — 36 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Zur Stadt Paris. 3.36 avg rating — 58 ratings — published 1993 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Des Schweizers Schweiz: Aufsätze 3.87 avg rating — 39 ratings — published 1969 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Der Leser. Das Erzählen. Frankfurter Poetik- Vorlesungen. really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 35 ratings — published 1982 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	میز میز است by Peter Bichsel, فرزین بانکی (Translator) 3.54 avg rating — 35 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Geschichten zur falschen Zeit. Kolumnen 1975 - 1978. 3.65 avg rating — 26 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cherubin Hammer und Cherubin Hammer 3.17 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 1999 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Die schöne Schwester Langeweile by Peter Bichsel, Adrienne Schneider (Translator) 3.79 avg rating — 19 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Über das Wetter reden 3.94 avg rating — 16 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Peter Bichsel…

Quotes by Peter Bichsel (?)

“Am Mann blieb der alte Fuß lange im Bild läuten, um neun stellte das Fotoalbum, der Fuß fror auf und blätterte sich aus dem Schrank, damit er nicht an den Morgen schaute.”
― Peter Bichsel, Kindergeschichten

tags: sprache

4 likes

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Libri dal mondo: Svizzera: autori	3	18	May 24, 2024 10:27AM
Around the World ...: Switzerland	24	776	Mar 01, 2025 11:35AM

Peter Bichsel’s Followers (55)

Peter Bichsel

Combine EditionsPeter Bichsel’s books

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Peter Bichsel’s books