Authors

From classic to contemporary works, the Swiss love to read and have created a literary tradition that spans four national languages. Reading is one of Switzerland’s most popular pastimes. According to a study conducted by the Federal Statistics Office in 2008, 81% of respondents said they had read at least one book in the last 12 months. The main centres of the Swiss publishing industry are Zurich and Basel. Please see the website of the Swiss German Booksellers’ and Publishers’ Association for more details (in German). For a helpful overview of Swiss literature, consult this page on All About Switzerland. There is currently a Unified Association of Swiss Authors featuring French, German and Italian, and Romansh writers. Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, publishes an annual magazine called 12 Swiss books with its top picks for translation. French-speaking authors A number of important French-language writers of the 18th and early 19th centuries were Swiss. The ...