Verena Wyss
Verena Wyss (born June 15, 1945 in Zurich ) is a Swiss writer. She is known for her time-critical novels.
Life and work
The author, who grew up in the canton of Solothurn , studied history and legal history in Basel and Bern and graduated with a licentiate . She volunteered in women's and educational projects as well as social work with disabled children. In 1976 she said she decided to become a writer. In 1982 she published her first book Slow Escape . Since then she has lived as a freelance writer.
Wyss is a member of the Swiss PEN and was its vice-president from 1992 to 1996. From 1985 to 1992 she was a board member of the Bernese Writers' Association.
The author is married and has two children. She lives in Wangen near Olten .
Topics of the novels and short stories
In her choice of topics, Wyss shows a weakness for contemporary social and political issues (e.g. disability, women's rights, justice). The starting point for the debut novel Slow Flucht was provided by a court case: a man shot his wife. The perpetrator appears in court as a victim. In the novel Sealed Time , Wyss dealt with the psychological conditions in a senior citizens' home , an old people's home for the wealthy. The examining magistrate deals with economic crime . In Verdecktes Spiel the taking of a woman hostage is the focus of the novel.
After each novel is finished, Wyss writes two short stories, mostly short crime novels. Edgar, The light and the dark room (1985) is about an aging mother and her adult, mentally handicapped child. Zürcher Tarot (2006) focuses on the Zurich banks. Vanessa's Blood Diamond (2007) deals with the motif of being a stranger in New York City. In 2008, Wyss took part in the “relay thriller by Swiss crime authors in the Swiss book trade” with the text Vodka at Hanselmann's . The short thriller Black Madonna (2009) was published in the cross-border anthology Dangerous Neighbors .
Works (selection)
- Novels
- Slow escape. Benziger, Zurich 1982. (translation into Hungarian)
- Sealed time. Nagel & Kimche , Zurich 1985, ISBN 3-312-00112-9 .
- The examining magistrate. Nagel & Kimche, Zurich 1994, ISBN 3-312-00196-X .
- Face down game. Nagel & Kimche, Zurich 1997.
- Detective novels
- Death formula. Gmeiner, Messkirch 2008, ISBN 978-3-89977-749-9 .
- Blood runes. Gmeiner, Messkirch 2010, ISBN 978-3-8392-1104-5 .
- Foehn fever. Gmeiner, Messkirch 2012, ISBN 978-3-8392-1320-9 .
- Plays
- Wind faces. First performed in the literary theater Der Blaue Berg, Bern, 1988.
Awards
- Work prize of the Canton of Solothurn 1982 for slow escape
- Awarded by the Swiss Schiller Foundation 1985.
- Pro Helvetia year of work 1992.
- Prize for Literature of the Canton of Solothurn 1994.
- Prize of the Swiss Schiller Foundation 1997 for covered games
- German Women's Crime Prize Agathe , Wiesbaden 2004 for the manuscript Die Gärtnerin ( renamed by the publisher to death formula)
Web links
- Literature by and about Verena Wyss in the catalog of the German National Library
- Entry about Verena Wyss in the lexicon of the Association of Authors of Switzerland
- Verena Wyss' website
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Entry about Verena Wyss in the lexicon of the Association of Authors of Switzerland
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wyss, Verena |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wyss hammer Verena |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss writer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 15, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Zurich |