Hermann Burger's Last Novel
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In the latest issue of the Literary Review, Ben Hutchinson reviews a new translation of the Swiss writer Hermann Burger’s last novel, Brenner. Burger studied architecture at the Swiss federal institute of technology in Zurich, ETH Zurich (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich) before switching to German literature and art history. He published a book of poems (Smoke Signals) in 1967 and a book of prose before continuing his studies and going on to teach at a couple of Swiss universities (including Fribourg, where I did my Ph.D.). His 1976 novel Schilten brought him some degree of fame, which he cultivated by driving around in a Ferrari 328 GTS and a white suit. Burger loved cigars—and smoked as many as 30 in a day. Here’s Hutchinson on Brenner:
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