Eveline Hasler (b. 1933 in Glarus) lives with her husband in Ronco. Her work is characterised by a combination of precise historical research and psychologically developed characters. Her historical novels re-examine chapters from Swiss and European history.
© Peter Friedli, 1980s
After great success with her books for children, Hasler began writing literature for adults. Anna Göldin – Letzte Hexe (1982) tells the story of Europe’s last witch trial, Ibicaba oder das Paradies in den Köpfen (1985) deals with Swiss emigrants, while Der Riese im Baum (1988) paints a portrait of a giant from Glarus. Die Wachsflügelfrau (1995) recounts the tragic fate of Switzerland’s first female lawyer, and Der Zeitreisende (1994) revisits the misunderstood and neglected figure of Henry Dunant. Other novels deal with the writer Regina Ullmann and the psychiatrist Otto Gross (2007), the initiative to rescue artists and intellectuals in danger during the time of the Nazi regime (2013), the Manns and the Schwarzenbachs in the context of Zurich’s Schauspielhaus (2015), and the Communist Mentona Moser (2019).
Eveline Hasler’s writing process begins with detailed research in archive sources. But what gives her novels their sense of immediacy is the psychological interpretation of the characters and the pervasive, implicit insight that history is reflected in one’s own present. She has always lent her voice to outsiders – people who, with their visions and lifestyles, were far ahead of their time and were ostracised for that reason.
Hasler has received numerous awards and honours, including the Droste Prize from the city of Meersburg, the City of St. Gallen Culture Award and an honorary doctorate from the University of Bern.
Last modification 16.12.2020
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