A short life of the author
Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990) was born on 5 January 1921 in Konolfingen, Canton of Bern, Switzerland. He studied philosophy, German literature, and natural science at the University of Bern and the University of Zurich.
Life and Career
Der Besuch der alten Dame (The Visit, 1956) — about a wealthy old woman who returns to her impoverished hometown and offers the citizens a fortune in exchange for the death of the man who wronged her decades ago — is his masterpiece and one of the essential plays of the twentieth century. It is a parable about justice, corruption, and the price of prosperity.
Die Physiker (The Physicists, 1962) — about three physicists in a mental asylum, one of whom has made a discovery that could destroy the world — is a dark comedy about the ethics of scientific knowledge during the Cold War.
His detective novels — Der Richter und sein Henker (The Judge and His Hangman, 1950) and Das Versprechen (The Pledge, 1958) — are crime fiction that subverts the genre’s conventions to explore philosophical questions about justice and guilt. The Pledge was subtitled “Requiem for the Detective Novel.”
Major Works and Themes
Dürrenmatt wrote about justice, guilt, power, and the impossibility of moral certainty. His work combines grotesque comedy with philosophical seriousness.
Key Works
- The Visit (1956)
- The Physicists (1962)
- The Pledge (1958)
Collecting Dürrenmatt
German originals (Arche, Diogenes) are the primary collected form. English translations bring $15–$30. Dürrenmatt’s artwork (paintings and drawings) is also collected.