Literature in Zurich
World Literature in and from Zurich
Zurich enjoys a high literary standing in the German-speaking world. During the two World Wars, the city served as a refuge for many important artists.
Emmy Hennings and Hugo Ball, together with Tristan Tzara and Hans Arp, founded the Dada movement in the Cabaret Voltaire. James Joyce, Else Lasker-Schüler, Thomas Mann, Robert Musil, Carl Zuckmayer, Friedrich Glauser, and many others wrote world literature on the shores of Lake Zurich.
Major publishing houses such as Diogenes or Scheidegger & Spiess were founded as a result. They and many wonderful bookstores honor the written word. Come and delve into Zurich’s literary oases.
The Best Bookstores
Spend hours browsing, amidst the smell of printer’s ink and the rustle of paper. These stores give rise to true feelings of happiness.
Literary Events
Reading Oases
Sit back, open a good book, and dive in and out of a completely different world: in summer, this is possible all over Zurich, especially in the city’s beautiful and peaceful parks. In the colder months, the following places are true oases for bookworms:
Book Institutions
With a collection of 9.6 and 4.3 million books, magazines, and journals respectively, the library of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and the Zentralbibliothek Zürich are among the largest publicly accessible libraries in Switzerland. Here, as well as in the Museum Strauhof and the Literaturhaus, cultural events, readings, and exhibitions are held on an ongoing basis.
The Favorite Restaurants of Illustrious Authors
Friedrich Dürrenmatt and Max Frisch had passionate arguments in the Kronenhalle, Einstein liked to spend his time in the Metropol, and the Dadaists not only founded the Cabaret Voltaire, but also met with other intellectuals in the Café Odeon. Zurich’s literary heritage can still be found in other bars and restaurants to this day:
Publicly Accessible Bookcases
If you walk through Zurich with open eyes and literary curiosity, you will suddenly see them everywhere: publicly accessible bookcases containing books that are worn and dog-eared, but free to take away. The bookcases give the most pleasure when they are used to swap books.
- Bookcase on the corner of Stampfenbach-/Nordstrasse
- Bookcase at Alter Bahnhof Letten, Transhelvetica
- Bookcase at the Kiosk Josefwiese
- Book fridge at Limmatstrasse
The Theaters in Zurich
Where literature comes to life
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Multifaceted Zurich
