“La Svizzera. Una prigione?” Reazioni letterarie e pittoriche alla ristrettezza elvetica

The border is not just a line; it's a space which shows a sense of belonging to a community and to a region. Swiss borders appear extremely strict and insurmountable if we consider the essay by Friedrich Dürrenmatt Die Schweiz: ein Gefängnis (1990) in which he compares the small country to a pr...

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Main Author: Maurizio Basili
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UNICApress 2011-05-01
Series:Between
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ojs.unica.it/index.php/between/article/view/110
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author Maurizio Basili
author_facet Maurizio Basili
author_sort Maurizio Basili
collection DOAJ
description The border is not just a line; it's a space which shows a sense of belonging to a community and to a region. Swiss borders appear extremely strict and insurmountable if we consider the essay by Friedrich Dürrenmatt Die Schweiz: ein Gefängnis (1990) in which he compares the small country to a prison: the Swiss themselves choose this detection because only in this prison they feel safe from outward aggression. Neutrality is a source of suffering and has an ambivalent connotation: it makes sure to be free from the worldwide conflicts but, at the same time, it makes prisoners because it limits the freedom to act. What emerges from the words of one of the most important Swiss writers of the twentieth century and from the most part of the Swiss intelligentsia is the indication of a deep identity crisis, a desire to escape the narrowness Paul Nizon wrote about in 1973 in his essay Diskurs in der Enge, in which he also implies a lack of freedom in Swiss Literature: in Swiss daily life nothing happens. The Swiss writer could describe his daily life, but he would be obvious, meaningless or simply boring. Narrowness is therefore the main precondition for a Swiss artist and it causes the escape. Escape and isolation are recurring themes in the art of painting (for example in the works of Giacometti and Meret Oppenheim) too.
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spelling doaj.art-b642cd9382364f6d8c94d587c210d6d12023-09-02T17:17:17ZengUNICApressBetween2039-65972011-05-011110.13125/2039-6597/110100“La Svizzera. Una prigione?” Reazioni letterarie e pittoriche alla ristrettezza elveticaMaurizio Basili0Università degli Studi di Roma Tor VergataThe border is not just a line; it's a space which shows a sense of belonging to a community and to a region. Swiss borders appear extremely strict and insurmountable if we consider the essay by Friedrich Dürrenmatt Die Schweiz: ein Gefängnis (1990) in which he compares the small country to a prison: the Swiss themselves choose this detection because only in this prison they feel safe from outward aggression. Neutrality is a source of suffering and has an ambivalent connotation: it makes sure to be free from the worldwide conflicts but, at the same time, it makes prisoners because it limits the freedom to act. What emerges from the words of one of the most important Swiss writers of the twentieth century and from the most part of the Swiss intelligentsia is the indication of a deep identity crisis, a desire to escape the narrowness Paul Nizon wrote about in 1973 in his essay Diskurs in der Enge, in which he also implies a lack of freedom in Swiss Literature: in Swiss daily life nothing happens. The Swiss writer could describe his daily life, but he would be obvious, meaningless or simply boring. Narrowness is therefore the main precondition for a Swiss artist and it causes the escape. Escape and isolation are recurring themes in the art of painting (for example in the works of Giacometti and Meret Oppenheim) too.http://ojs.unica.it/index.php/between/article/view/110Letteratura SvizzeraSchweizer EngeDürrenmattUcronia
spellingShingle Maurizio Basili
“La Svizzera. Una prigione?” Reazioni letterarie e pittoriche alla ristrettezza elvetica
Between
Letteratura Svizzera
Schweizer Enge
Dürrenmatt
Ucronia
title “La Svizzera. Una prigione?” Reazioni letterarie e pittoriche alla ristrettezza elvetica
title_full “La Svizzera. Una prigione?” Reazioni letterarie e pittoriche alla ristrettezza elvetica
title_fullStr “La Svizzera. Una prigione?” Reazioni letterarie e pittoriche alla ristrettezza elvetica
title_full_unstemmed “La Svizzera. Una prigione?” Reazioni letterarie e pittoriche alla ristrettezza elvetica
title_short “La Svizzera. Una prigione?” Reazioni letterarie e pittoriche alla ristrettezza elvetica
title_sort la svizzera una prigione reazioni letterarie e pittoriche alla ristrettezza elvetica
topic Letteratura Svizzera
Schweizer Enge
Dürrenmatt
Ucronia
url http://ojs.unica.it/index.php/between/article/view/110
work_keys_str_mv AT mauriziobasili lasvizzeraunaprigionereazioniletterarieepittoricheallaristrettezzaelvetica