Dürrenmatt Friedrich: biography and photos

A famous European playwright, novelist, painter, illustrator Friedrich Dürrenmatt created many literary works. Among them - stories, novels, novels and plays. In the 60's, he became popular in our country. I even came to Russia several times. Literary works translated into Russian were in great demand among Soviet readers. In addition, his plays staged performances and films were made.

The beginning of the way

The biography of Friedrich Dürrenmatt began in 1921 when a boy was born in the family of a Protestant priest. It happened not far from Bern. In 1924 his sister Vroni was born.

The directors of the Free Gymnasium, as well as of Humboldt, expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that their pupil was Durrenmatt. Friedrich poorly studied, argued with teachers, criticized their teaching methods.

After graduating from high school, he decided to graduate. One of the students at the University of Zurich was Dürrenmatt. Friedrich studied there painting and art history, philology and philosophy. The hero of our article always liked to draw with a pencil and a brush. Over time, he mastered this mastery, so that he was able to independently make illustrations for his works. Sometimes he made sketches of costumes and scenery for his plays.

Literary path

Suddenly Frederick felt himself a penchant for writing. His first stories were published in 1943. They were "Christmas", "Executioner", "Son". Quite gloomy works, corresponding to the spirit of his time. The first play was "For it is said." It was published in 1945. And in 1947 it was already set on stage. The crime novel "Judge and Executioner" Friedrich Dürrenmatt wrote in the Ligerz in 1950. In German schools this work is indicated in the compulsory program.

In Ligerz, Durenmatt was after he left there, marrying actress Lottie Geisler in 1946. However, in 1983 she died, and Frederick married again at Charlotte Kerr. She was not only an actress, but also a journalist and film producer. Together with her husband, she was engaged in the production of movies.

Famous works

"The visit of the old lady", "Physicists", "Romulus the Great" wrote Durenmatt. Friedrich became world celebrity after these plays were staged on the stage. For the years of his life he wrote 23 plays, several short stories, novels, short stories, essays and radio plays. Among them - "Greek is looking for a Greek", "Order", "Justice", "Promise", "Judge and his executioner", "Suspicion", "Accident". He also wrote journalistic works. Among them - "Compliance", "I put myself behind Israel", "Notes from America." Also, the author of speeches addressed to V. Gavel and M. Gorbachev was Durenmatt. Friedrich wrote them in 1990, when it was time for the socialist countries to rebuild.

Sense of creativity

What did Frederick Dürrenmatt write about? His books that a man loses his spiritual roots. The author describes the chaos of our world, its cruelty. The fate of a person is tragic, because he is powerless to change anything. But the writer brings to the reader the meaning of his works through the grotesque. He does not use the techniques of tragedy in his literature. According to Durrenmatt, all these techniques in the past. Therefore, in one work, incongruous characters converge, strange situations, unusual problems and ways to solve them. The goals of the heroes are also capable of causing confusion among readers. In his works Durenmatt touches the moral side of life. Spiritual life, moral principles of a person - that's what excites him most of all, what he is trying to understand. Favorite themes of the writer are freedom, guilt, punishment, betrayal, loyalty, justice.

"Visit the old lady"

This is one of the best literary works of Friedrich Dürrenmatt. This play tells the story of an elderly American billionaire Claire Tsakhanasyan. Once she went to the apron of the small town of Gullen, located in central Europe. The lady immediately amazes the imagination of the inhabitants of this town. The suite surrounding it is extravagant. She moves on a palanquin, worn by two strong guys. Accompany her former husbands and two strange old men. In addition, along with her luggage she brought an empty coffin with her. This situation seems very ominous. So it turns out, when the old lady reveals her intentions to punish the person who seduced her in her youth. She gives a million dollars to someone who kills him. Claire suggests that many do this, but no one dares. Meanwhile, the actions of the billionaire show that she is confident that this will necessarily happen. Tsakhanasyan is preparing for the funeral ceremony, mourning wreaths are brought to her hotel. In his work Dürrenmatt demonstrates how people change if they are offered material prosperity in exchange for an unseemly act. It's good to be noble, as long as there is no temptation, says Friedrich Dürrenmatt.

"Promise"

Reviews about this work are different. Someone enthusiastically advises to necessarily read it, calling the novel a masterpiece of drama. Others are more restrained, but note the author's serious work, an excellent psychological analysis of the personality of the policeman, who is the protagonist of the work. "Promise" is a story about how, after closing the case of the murder of a little girl, a policeman privately begins to conduct his investigation. He will have to sacrifice much to get to the truth.

"Physicists"

Starting to read this play, we find ourselves in a madhouse, where the scientist Mobius lives. Once he kills nurse Monica. A policeman who investigated two similar crimes committed earlier in this crazy house finds a contradiction between them. So he understands that they were committed by different people. Mobius is not at all crazy, like his two neighbors, who thought of themselves as Einsteins. He is consciously in a madhouse, and all his discoveries really exist.

Be sure to get acquainted with the work of Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Plots of it are not trivial, the topics are relevant. A constant change of action, unusual logic, interesting characters occupy the reader. Works give room for imagination and philosophical reflection.