Literature

Three figures from Swiss literature

By Antoine Lévêque · August 20, 2025

Ramuz, Rousseau and Hesse all share an interest in how the individual tries to live in a society where he sometimes feels like an outsider. An attempt to heroize these three great Swiss authors, who see nature as a source of authenticity.

Switzerland

Numa Droz, the youngest Federal Councillor to date

By Jonas Follonier · 08 August 2025

A recent book by historian Olivier Meuwly invites us to take a closer look at this Neuchâtel native, who was elected to the Swiss government at the age of 31. An inspiring figure in his own right, this radical who became a liberal-conservative over time retains an air of mystery about him.

History

The national hero: a Swiss trauma?

By Olivier Meuwly · August 01, 2025

Switzerland doesn't like heroes, especially its own. That's not a problem in itself. Unless, that is, it removes the individual from history, at the risk of rendering it unintelligible. In this sense, Switzerland would do well to reappropriate its great figures.