   |
Zurich Literature |
||
|
Zurich is a center for German literature. This Web Report will explain how and why Zurich has played such a vital role in the development of German Literature. Journalism As of 1949, Switzerland had more newspapers per person than any other country in the world1. Also at this time, 72% of the country was German-speaking2. This made the larger cities of Switzerland an opportune place to which many German speaking writers decided to migrate. Writing for newspapers allowed these authors a sure (or secure) source of income by working on their masterpieces. Writing for Zurich newspapers allowed Max Frisch to support himself and his mother when his father died. During this time Frisch also wrote his first novel, Jürg Reinhart. Education Zurich is an intellectual city. The Cantonal University of Zurich was created in 1833 by the joining of the already existing colleges in the city, becoming the first European University founded by a democratic state, not a monarch or the church5. This university has supported several authors with both degrees and teaching positions to writers such as Buechner and Bodmer even before it had officially united it colleges.Pestalozzi, a student of Bodmer, became an educational reformer not only to change the German-speaking region of Europe but also to modify teaching practices around the world. Cultivation of Ideas Zurich provides a great place for the cultivation of new ideas. Zurich played an intense role in the Reformation, as Zwingli led it to become the first city outside of Germany to break from the Catholic Church. Zurich continued to be a leader in various movements. Bodmer, a native Zurich writer, inspired many young German romanticists of his day. Dadaism began in Zurich with Hugo Ball and his companions, and its creators continued on to Paris to begin Surrealism. Art & Architecture Zurich is the home to many museums, and galleries, and amazing architecture. It is this aspect of the city that attracted architecht-writers such as Gottfried Semper and artist-writers such as Jakob Burckhardt. Zurich is also rich in theater arts. Not only is Zurich filled with museums and galleries, it also hosts one of the most important theaters in the German-speaking world, Schauspielhaus6. This theater not only enhanced the culture of the city, it attracted many playwrights, such as Dürrenmatt, who worked as a freelance advisor there. Switzerland has been a neutral country since before its constitution in 1291. In 1648, the Treaty of Westphalia Switzerland's independence from the Holy Roman Empire was recognized, and European countries recognized its neutrality3. In 1815 at the Congress of Vienna, it was decided that Switzerland would be a permanently neutral country. For this reason, Zurich was not only an intellectual, educational location, it was also a haven for intellectual refugees on numerous occasions. Writers such as Georg Büchner, Thomas Mann, and composer Richard Wagner. They were permitted to flee to Switzerland as refugees, as long as they didn't indulge in any foreign politics4. For more information...
Both of these sections also provide links to pages about specific authors who were influenced by the city of Zurich in one way or another to make major contributions to German Literature.
Citations |
|||
