The Literature of the Romandie: Switzerland's Wild West

Authors

Barbara Villiger

Keywords

french Switzerland, Robert Pinget, Agot Kristof, Rhaeto-Romanic, Canton of Grison

Abstract

Geneva's best-known writer lives in France. French Switzerland's best known woman writer lives in Neuchatel, but she is Hungarian. And to close the triangle - Switzerland's most successful writer in Paris last year is by no means a French Swiss but a German-speaking Parisian of choice. As regards the first author, the Genevan writer living in France, I'm talking about Robert Pinget; as regards the second author, the Hungarian living in Neuch~el, about Agota Kristof; and in the third instance, the Parisian by choice, about Paul Nizon. Before focusing on the two writers of today's talk--Pinget and Kristof--I'd like to make a few observations on Switzerland's four languages. This will allow me to explain why, of all French Swiss writers, I have picked two who deviate from the norm, if such a thing exists at all.

Recommended Citation

Villiger, Barbara (1994) "The Literature of the Romandie: Switzerland's Wild West," Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 30: No. 2, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_review/vol30/iss2/5