7. November 2017. This public reading and discussion with the author are a part of the series "Das andere Buch an der Uni", which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. Ulrike Landfester, Pro–rector and Professor of German Language and Literature, will moderate the event. Admission is free.

Goethe's second trip to Switzerland in 1779 could have been the last for the then 30–year–old, and Werther his only renowned work. That’s because he could never have understood the risk involved in a nine–hour trek on foot through fresh snow over the Furka Pass in November. In Adolf Muschg's new book, the telling of this journey is used as a vehicle of reflection on his own life.

When a fall down the stairs lands the author in the hospital, he brings along an old edition of Goethe, which includes Goethe's second trip to Switzerland: White Friday, 12 November 1779, was the date of Goethe's adventure in the Gotthard region. Together with his employer and friend Duke Carl August, he traversed the snow-covered Furka Pass, disregarding the warnings of the locals. Adolf Muschg himself also faces a life–threatening situation upon being re–diagnosed with cancer. As a contemporary of an age where electronics rule our lives more and more, he has good reason to look for warnings and promises in a story that is not yet over. The story is about dealing with the risk to which a human, as a natural creature, is subjected.

Information about the author

Muschg was born on 13 Mai 1934 in Zürich. He studied German Studies, English Studies, and Psychology. He has worked as a Secondary-School Teacher, Lecturer and Professor of German Language and Literature at the ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) Zürich, among other positions. From 2003 to 2006, he presided over the Berlin Academy of Arts, and since 2010 has been a member of the Senate of the Berlin–Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

Important awards: Hermann Hesse-Preis 1974, Zürcher Literaturpreis 1984, Ricarda Huch-Preis 1993, Georg Büchner-Preis 1994, Grimmelshausen-Preis 2001, Bundesverdienstkreuz 2004, Schweizer Grand Prix Literatur 2015.

Important works: Kinderhochzeit (2008), Der rote Ritter (1993), Das Licht und der Schlüssel (1984), Gottfried Keller (1977), Albissers Grund (1974), Im Sommer des Hasen (1965).

Picture: Fotolia/tkellenberger