On the Death of Gertrud Leutenegger
News25.06.2025
»If the German-language literary scene today is characterised above all by the volume of self-promotion, then Gertrud Leutenegger was one of the quietest, but all the more genuine voices in it.« Paul Jandl, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Suhrkamp author Gertrud Leutenegger passed away on 20 June 2025 at the age of 76, in her hometown of Schwyz.
The author was born in 1948 and was one of the most important voices in contemporary Swiss literature. Since 1975, she has published a diverse and poetically powerful oeuvre that includes novels, essays, poems and plays and has received numerous awards, most recently the City of Zurich Art Prize in 2024. Her best-known works include the novels Vorabend, Pomona, Späte Gäste and Panischer Frühling, which made her the first author ever to be shortlisted for both the Swiss and German Book Prizes. Gertrud Leutenegger lived for many years in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland and in Zurich.
Suhrkamp author Gertrud Leutenegger passed away on 20 June 2025 at the age of 76, in her hometown of Schwyz.
The author was born in 1948 and was one of the most important voices in contemporary Swiss literature. Since 1975, she has published a diverse and poetically powerful oeuvre that includes novels, essays, poems and plays and has received numerous awards, most recently the City of Zurich Art Prize in 2024. Her best-known works include the novels Vorabend, Pomona, Späte Gäste and Panischer Frühling, which made her the first author ever to be shortlisted for both the Swiss and German Book Prizes. Gertrud Leutenegger lived for many years in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland and in Zurich.