Friedrich Dürrenmatt's plays on stage today

Of course, not many theatres were open in the past few months, but we look forward to seeing all the productions that are currently on hold to be back on stage. Please find a selection of excellent productions on our Dürrenmatt theatre website (in German, but the videos are in a variety of languages).

While The Visit and The Physicists are performed regularly, Romulus the Great and Hercules in the Augean Stables have recently made it to the bills, too. Highlights of the last few years were The Visit at the National Theatre in 2020 in London, starring Lesley Manville, and the Broadway musical adaptation of The Visit by John Kander and Fred Ebb, starring Chita Rivera.

Dürrenmatt's editor Anna von Planta says: »Dürrenmatt is one of the most performed authors on Diogenes’ portfolio – maybe also because he leaves a lot of room for new interpretations. For example when The Visit was first staged in 1956, it was considered a critique of the German ›economic miracle‹ after the Second World War, but today, it seems as if he had foreseen #MeToo.«

New Diogenes edition I: Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s dramatic works

A re-designed and revised edition of his dramatic works in 18 volumes.

New Diogenes edition III: Subject Matter

Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s major late opus Subject Matter is going to be published on 28 April as a five-volume boxed edition.

A wealth of previously unpublished autobiographical, philosophical and narrative texts and text fragments. With an introductory essay by Daniel Kehlmann.

Dürrenmatt on the screen all over the world

Dürrenmatt’s works have inspired so many filmmakers around the world that keeping count of all the screen adaptations is quite a challenge. IMDb alone lists 97 productions for which Dürrenmatt is credited as a writer, including The Visit (starring Ingrid Bergman), The Pledge by Sean Penn (starring Jack Nicholson) or Hyènes (The Visit) by Djibril Diop Mambéty. Most recently, the topical story The Tunnel was made into a short film by Swiss directors Christoph Daniel and Marc Schmidheiny for dcm.

Recently published in translation: The Pledge in Italian

Italian edition by Adelphi (Milan)

Susanne says: »This new translation from 2019 shows the proficiency of Donata Berra, who was also awarded the Italian-German prize for literary translation by the Goethe-Institut Rome.« 

Recently published in translation: The detective novels 

Chinese (simplified characters) edition by People's Literature (Beijing)

Claudia says: »We were especially proud to see Dürrenmatt published by prestigious People's Literature (Renmin Wenxue Chubanshe). The Chinese title for The Judge and His Hangman sounds different, but no less striking: You can read «法官与刽子手» as The Judge and His Cutting Hand – or executioner«

Recently published in translation: The Judge and His Hangman in Swedish

Swedish edition by Ersatz (Stockholm)

Andrej says: »The new translation by Ola Wallin marks the beginning of the Swedish Dürrenmatt revival at Ersatz.«

Ulrich Weber's biography Friedrich Dürrenmatt praised by the press

Ulrich Weber's biography Friedrich Dürrenmatt was chosen as #7 on the ›List of the Best Nonfiction Books‹ in November 2020 by Die Literarische Welt, radio station WDR 5, Neue Zürcher Zeitung and Austrian radio station Ö1.

The press is enthusiastic:

»Perfectly timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary, on 5 January 2021, of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s birth, Ulrich Weber presents this comprehensive biography, addressing all phases of the writer’s life and work.«
Julian Schütt / SRF 2 Kultur, Zurich

»A welcome book, because this storytelling genius remains an enigma to many people.«
Christiane Oelrich / Frankfurter Neue Presse, Frankfurt

»Precisely because he doesn’t intend to excel but remains contained, Ulrich Weber has written an excellent and inspiring biography.«
Jörg Magenau / SWR2, Stuttgart

»Weber’s biography is exhaustive – but in a way that entices you to read as much as possible by the author himself. What could be better than that? «
Martin Ebel / Tages-Anzeiger, Zurich

»Thorough without exception and for a biographer almost too well-tempered, Weber leads through this artist's and thinker's life.««
Marc Reichwein / Literarische Welt, Berlin

New Diogenes edition II: Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s prose works 

A re-designed and revised edition of his prose works in 19 volumes

Dürrenmatt in the media today

Swiss public television SRF is presenting a wide variety of content related to the anniversary – their programme focus ›100 years Dürrenmatt‹ started on 11 December.

Du Magazine, the internationally renowned cultural journal, has just released a special issue, dedicated to Dürrenmatt. 

The Swiss National Library has a broad overview of the festivities, exhibitions, events, conferences and lectures under duerrenmatt21.ch – and the Centre Dürrenmatt in Neuchâtel will reopen on 24 January.

Moreover, Dürrenmatt's works are praised in many prestigious newspapers and other media:

»Universal, uncomfortable and visionary: Friedrich Dürrenmatt is the worthy reigning literary monarch of the year.« 
Werner Krause / Kleine Zeitung, Graz

»He is evil, he doesn't think anything good of humanity, and he describes this – but he does it with wit.«
Elke Heidenreich / SRF Literaturclub, Zurich

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung featured a podcast about the author here.

Recently published in translation: The Execution of Justice in English

English edition by Pushkin Press (London)

Susanne says: »We are especially happy about the recent new editions of Dürrenmatt's crime novels published in the great Pushkin Vertigo list.«

Recently published in translation: The Judge and His Hangman in Spanish

Spanish edition by Tusquets (Barcelona)

Susanne says: »While there have been many Tusquets editions since the late 1980s, this new edition of Suspicion, Justice and The Judge and His Hangman bears new book covers. The cover designs are as timeless as the works they encase. Available in bookshops from Ávila to Buenos Aires and Caracas.« 

Recently published in translation: Justice in Farsi

Farsi edition by Borj (Tehran)

Andrej says: »Another Dürrenmatt novel translated by the highly renowned Mahmoud Hosseini Zad. The cover design using one of Dürrenmatt’s paintings is also spot-on.«

Recently published in translation: The Pledge in Mongolian

Mongolian edition by Monsudar (Ulaanbaatar)

Andrej says: »Dürrenmatt in Mongolian for the first time – an apt fit for Monsudar’s series of modern literary classics, and in good company with Camus, Conrad and Capote.«