Robert Walser (15 April 1878 near Biel/Bienne, Switzerland – 25 December 1956 near Herisau, Switzerland), was a German-speaking Swiss writer.
Walser was born in a family with many children. His brother Karl Walser was a well-known stage designer and painter. Walser grew up in Biel, which lies on the language border between German and French cantons. He grew up speaking both languages. He attended primary school and progymnasium which he had to le...
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Robert Walser (15 April 1878 near Biel/Bienne, Switzerland – 25 December 1956 near Herisau, Switzerland), was a German-speaking Swiss writer.
Walser was born in a family with many children. His brother Karl Walser was a well-known stage designer and painter. Walser grew up in Biel, which lies on the language border between German and French cantons. He grew up speaking both languages. He attended primary school and progymnasium which he had to leave before the final exam when his family could no longer bear the cost. From his early years on, he was an enthusiastic theatre-goer; his favorite play was The Robbers by Friedrich Schiller. There is a Watercolor painting that shows Walser as Karl Moor, the protagonist of that play.
From 1892 to 1895, Walser served an apprenticeship at the Bernische Kantonalbank in Biel. Afterwards he worked for a short time in Basel. Walser's mother, who was "emotionally disturbed", died in 1894 after being under medical care for a long period. In 1895,...
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