Swiss literature, death, analysis

Der Schweizer Schriftsteller Thomas Hürlimann befasst sich in seinem Roman mit der Situation in der schweizer Gesellschaft. Im Roman diffundieren zwei Ebenen, öffentliche, in der der Autor das Benehmen der Politiker enthüllt, und private, die die Machtlosigkeit der Familie schildert, die gezwungen ist, dem Sterben des Kindes zu zusehen.

Meeting death has been a thematic preoccupation of literary works from the earliest times. In the 1970s many Swiss writers opened up their private experiences to readers in autobiographical texts which left nothing uncovered - not even the terror of illness and death. In the late 1980s and early 1990s a new generation came to the fore, with entirely different values. Their works are not typically reflections of inner worlds, but attempts to connect personal lives with the public interest. One representative of this generation is Thomas Hürlimann. His novel ´Der grosse Kater´ interweaves two levels - the public and the private. Both meet at a single point, which is death.