![Niklaus Meienberg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Niklaus_Meienberg.jpg)
Niklaus Meienberg (11 May 1940 – 22 September 1993) was a
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
writer and
investigative journalist
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...
.
Meienberg lived in Zürich and published 14 books in his lifetime. His works were primarily about recent Swiss history. His texts are used as exemplars in Swiss journalism schools.
Meienberg's best works were compiled in the book ''St. Fiden Paris Oerlikon''. This book was republished in 2005/06 as part of the series ''
Schweizer Bibliothek
Schweizer Bibliothek ("Swiss Library") is a twenty-volume compilation of Swiss books, published in 2005/2006. The wide assortment of writers from all around the country is intended to represent 20th century Swiss literature by showcasing twenty of ...
'' (a series of 20 of the most important Swiss books).
Life
Meienberg was born 1940 in
St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website ...
. He is the younger brother of missionary
Peter Hildebrand Meienberg
Peter Hildebrand Meienberg (27 November 1929 – 3 December 2021) was a Swiss Benedictine missionary who spent more than 50 years in East Africa working on refugee aid, prison reform, education, and other social determinants of health. He is know ...
. After five years in the convent school in
Disentis
Disentis (German) or Mustér (, Romansh), with its official name Disentis/Mustér is a village and a municipality in the Surselva Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.
The skiing and summer tourism resort high up in the Rhine valley is th ...
, the 20-year-old went to the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
for one year. In
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
he worked as a clerk for the ''Federation of
Migros
Migros () is Switzerland's largest retail company, its largest supermarket chain and largest employer. It is also one of the forty largest retailers in the world. It is structured in the form of a cooperative federation (the Federation of Mig ...
Cooperatives'' and in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, Canada, as a bulldozer driver.
On his return to Switzerland, he was ready to study. As a main subject, he chose history (at the
University of Fribourg
The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland.
The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius ...
, then at the
ETH Zurich
(colloquially)
, former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule
, image = ETHZ.JPG
, image_size =
, established =
, type = Public
, budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021)
, rector = Günther Dissertori
, president = Joël Mesot
, ac ...
and later thanks to a stipend, in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
). During his years of study he reportedly was a member of a reactionary secret society. In Paris he experienced the riots of May 1968.
He finished his studies in Fribourg with the title of a „lic. phil.“ and the licentiate work
''De Gaulle und die USA von 1940 bis 42'' (''De Gaulle and the USA from 1940 to 42'').
From 1966 on, he was a Paris correspondent for the ''
Weltwoche
''Die Weltwoche'' (German for "The World Week") is a Swiss weekly magazine based in Zürich. Founded in 1933, it has been privately owned by Roger Köppel since 2006.
The magazine's regular columnists include the former president of the Social D ...
'', for five years. Starting in 1971, he reported for the
Swiss national television’s culture show ''Perspektiven'' (“Perspectives”) and many productions for the
Swiss national radio’s transmissions, such as the satirical transmission ''Faktenordner'' („Facts Folder“). Meanwhile, he became a freelancer for the Zurich newspaper ''
Tages-Anzeiger
''Tages-Anzeiger'' (), also abbreviated ''Tagi'' or ''TA'', is a Swiss German-language national daily newspaper published in Zurich, Switzerland.
History and profile
The paper was first published under the name ''Tages-Anzeiger für Stadt und K ...
'' and the Tages-Anzeiger's magazine ''Magazin'' (today named ''Das Magazin''.)
After 1976, he was banned from writing for the Tages-Anzeiger because of his criticisms of both Swiss history and contemporary Switzerland. The longtime ban was imposed by publisher Otto Coning against the editorial staff's wishes.
In 1977 had to go to court because of scenes of his movie ''Die Erschiessung des Landesverräters Ernst S.'' (English meaning: “The execution of the national betrayer Ernst S.”) and because of a planned theatre play about
Ulrich Wille
Conrad Ulrich Sigmund Wille (5 April 1848 – 31 January 1925) was the General of the Swiss Army during the First World War. Inspired by the Prussian techniques that he had been able to observe at the time of his studies in Berlin, he attempted ...
. Meienberg, who was represented by leftist
Moritz Leuenberger
Moritz Leuenberger (born 21 September 1946) is a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1995 to 2010. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SP/PS), he was President of the Swiss Confederation in 20 ...
, a later member of the Bundesrat (Swiss Federal Council), won the process against the two sons of Wille.
From 1982 to 83, Niklaus Meienberg was head of the Paris Bureau of the German magazine ''
Stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...
''. Afterwards, he was a freelancer for the weekly newspaper ''WOZ'' and acted as a writer.
In spring 1987, he wrote a critical and heavy discussed biography of Ulrich Wille and his family for the ''Weltwoche''. During fall of the same year, it was published as a book with the title ''Die Welt als Wille und Wahn'' (literally: “The World as Will and Delusion”). The German title is a play on words: “Wille” is not only a German word for “will”/”intention”, but means the surname of Ulrich Wille, too. The title in turn seems to be a reference to German philosopher
Arthur Schopenhauer’s (1788–1860) main work “Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung” (“The World as Will and Representation”, sometimes also known in English as “The World as Will and Idea”)
Meienberg's penmanship found a lot few other sophisticated word-plays, too: In "Die Erschiessung des Landesverräters Ernst S." he calls the traitor's execution "Tells Geschoss" (Tell's projectile"), because the executor shot through the betrayer's eye, like Tell shot through an apple, and the macabre punchline is as follows: in German, the "eyeball" is literally called "eye apple".
Even Meienberg's book's titles attest a liking for word jokes (e.g. "The make-believing of true facts" that inverts "Die Vorspiegelung falscher Tatsachen", which is a set phrase in the world of German-speaking courts and jurisdiction.)
The above-mentioned report is partially based on photographs of unpublished letters that Wille wrote to his wife. The exclusive photographs were taken by Meienberg without permission - they were exposed as pieces of scenery in an exhibition. In the Afterword, Meienberg, admitted this fact as follows:
''The guard commanding supervisor of the local museum
Meilen
Meilen is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
History
Archaeological finds in Meilen date back more than 4,000 years. In January 1854 the level of lake Zürich was particularly low and the locals ...
never had flipped open the book, but was happy that its content pleased me and photographer
Roland Gretler
Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...
that much, and didn’t mind me excerpting any passages of the text or Roland Gretler integrally photographing a few dozens of pages.''
Meienberg committed suicide on 22 September 1993.
In the media, the suicide of Meienberg caused a big echo. The Austrian writer
Erich Hackl
Erich Hackl (born 26 May 1954 in Steyr, Upper Austria) is an Austrian novelist and short story writer. His works have been translated into English, Spanish, French, Czech and Hebrew though he is significantly better known in the German-speaking w ...
thinks, Meienberg killed himself, because he was no longer able to cope with the direction of the world. A doctor would trace this back to untreated
depression. In his last letters Meienberg called himself an “expiring model” (of a journalist?), original text: “auslaufendes Modell”.
Niklaus Meienberg's
literary remains
The literary estate of a deceased author consists mainly of the copyright and other intellectual property rights of published works, including film, translation rights, original manuscripts of published work, unpublished or partially completed w ...
are conserved in the
Swiss Literary Archives in
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
, that amongst others also conserves the literary remains of famous names like
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
,
Hermann Hesse
Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', ''Steppenwolf (novel), Steppenwolf'', ''Siddhartha (novel), Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', ...
,
Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley.
She wrote 22 novel ...
and
Adolf Muschg
Adolf Muschg (born 13 May 1934) is a Swiss writer and professor of literature. Muschg was a member of the Gruppe Olten.
Biography
Adolf Muschg was born in Zollikon, canton of Zürich, Switzerland. He studied German studies, English studies a ...
.
In 1998, Meienberg's former lover, Aline Graf, published a book with the title ''Der andere Niklaus Meienberg'' (''The other Niklaus Meienberg''), in which she describes the eight years she was his lover. She writes rather negatively about him, says that he had held her too tight and his body had looked like a cockchafer grub. Graf was invited to talk shows, gave interviews, had a big media presence. Her book received rather bad reviews in Switzerland's papers and magazines, only in Germany were some positive voices. Her style was found dirty and polluting, she was supposed to being keen on media presence.
The Swiss, that defended Meienberg, were disgusted and angry. Graf wanted to leave the country to recover in the Netherlands for a while.
Famous voices on Niklaus Meienberg
* "For me, Meienberg mainly is an important author of prose. It doesn’t matter, where this prose finally was published. That’s similar to
Heine
Heine is both a surname and a given name of German origin. People with that name include:
People with the surname
* Albert Heine (1867–1949), German actor
* Alice Heine (1858–1925), American-born princess of Monaco
* Armand Heine (1818–1883) ...
. Heinrich Heine wrote a big part of his work for newspapers. That now is part of the binding German-speaking prose."
Peter von Matt
Peter von Matt (born 20 May 1937) is a Swiss philologist and author.
Life
Born in Lucerne, Peter von Matt grew up in Stans in the canton of Nidwalden. He studied Art History as well as German and English studies in Zurich and received a docto ...
* "It is just right, what he wrote"
Max Frisch
Max Rudolf Frisch (; 15 May 1911 – 4 April 1991) was a Swiss playwright and novelist. Frisch's works focused on problems of identity, individuality, responsibility, morality, and political commitment. The use of irony is a significant featur ...
Awards
* 1990 culture prize of the city
St.Gallen
* 1989 Zürich journalists price
* 1988 workprice of the Max-Frisch-foundation
Films
* 1976 »Die Erschiessung des Landesverräters Ernst S.« Drehbuch-Autor (with
Richard Dindo
Richard Dindo (born 1944 in Zürich) is a Switzerland, Swiss documentary film director. He made his first film in 1970.Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...
(
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
töten«) (with
Villi Hermann
Villi Hermann (born 1941) is a Swiss film director and screenwriter. His 1981 film ''The Homeless One'' was entered into the 13th Moscow International Film Festival. His 1989 film ''Bankomatt'' - with actor Bruno Ganz in the leading role - was ...
and
Hans Stürm
Hans Stürm (1874–1933) was a German actor, screenwriter and playwright. He worked with the director Richard Eichberg on a number of films either in acting of scripting roles.Paietta p. 64 His stage play ''The Unfaithful Eckehart'' was turned i ...
) 150 minutes. CH / BRD 1978/80. (English meaning: “It’s cold in
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...
(killing Hitler)”)
* Films for Swiss Television, together with Villi Hermann:
** 1974 ''Ein Fremdarbeiter namens Liebermann'' (English meaning: „A foreign worker called Liebermann“)
** 1974 ''Bundesarchiv – Putzfrauen und Politiker'' (English meaning: „Charladies and politicians“)
Books
* ''St. Fiden - Paris - Oerlikon''. Zürich 2006
* ''Reportagen 1 & 2''. Zürich 2000 and 3-85791-345-2 (English meaning: „Reports: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2“)
* ''Zunder. Überfälle, Übergriffe, Überbleibsel''. Zürich 1993 (English meaning: „Tinder. Attacks, inroads, remains“)
* ''Geschichte des Liebens und des Liebäugelns''. Zürich 1992 (English meaning: „Story of Loving and Flirting”)
* ''Weh unser guter Kaspar ist tot. Plädoyers u. dgl.''. Zürich 1991 (English meaning: „Sore, our good Kaspar is dead“)
* ''Golf-Krieg. Engagement, Verfolgung und Bedrohung''. 1990 (English meaning: „Gulf War. Engagement, Prosecution and Harassment”)
* ''Vielleicht sind wir morgen schon bleich u. tot''. Zürich 1989 (out of print) (English meaning: „Maybe tomorrow we are already pale and dead“)
* ''Die Welt als Wille & Wahn. Elemente zur Naturgeschichte eines Clans''. Zürich 1987 (English meaning: “The World as Will and Delusion. Elements about the natural history of a clan”)
* ''Heimsuchungen. Ein ausschweifendes Lesebuch''. Zürich 1986 (English meaning: „Visitations: An outraging Storybook“)
* ''Der wissenschaftliche Spazierstock''. Zürich 1985 (English meaning: „The Scientific Cane“)
* ''Vorspiegelung wahrer Tatsachen''. Zürich 1983 (English meaning: „The Make-believe of true Facts”)
* ''Die Erweiterung der Pupillen beim Eintritt ins Hochgebirge. Poesie 1966-1981''. Zürich 1981 (English meaning: „The Enlargement of Pupillas when entering High Mountains”)
* ''Es ist kalt in Brandenburg. Ein Hitler-Attentat''. Zürich 1980, Berlin 1990 (out of print) (English meaning: “It’s cold in
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...
. An attempt on Hitler”)
* ''Die Erschiessung des Landesverräters Ernst S.'' Darmstadt 1977, Zürich 1992, (English meaning: “The execution of the national betrayer Ernst S.”
* ''Das Schmettern des gallischen Hahns''. Darmstadt 1976, Zürich 1987, (English meaning: “The smashing of the Gallic Rooster”)
* ''Reportagen aus der Schweiz''. Darmstadt 1974, Zürich 1994 (English meaning: “Reports from Switzerland”)
Further reading
* Klemens Renoldner: ''Hagenwil-les-deux-Eglises. Ein Gespräch mit Niklaus Meienberg''. With a photographic essay by
Michael von Graffenried and an essay by
Erich Hackl
Erich Hackl (born 26 May 1954 in Steyr, Upper Austria) is an Austrian novelist and short story writer. His works have been translated into English, Spanish, French, Czech and Hebrew though he is significantly better known in the German-speaking w ...
. Limmat Verlag, Zürich 2003, 112 p.
* Marianne Fehr: ''Meienberg. Lebensgeschichte des Schweizer Journalisten und Schriftstellers''. Limmat Verlag, Zürich 1999, 556 p.
* Aline Graf: ''Der andere Niklaus Meienberg. Aufzeichnungen einer Geliebten''. Weltwoche ABC Verlag, Zürich 1998, 422 p.
* Christof Stillhard: ''Meienberg und seine Richter. Vom Umgang der Deutschschweizer Presse mit ihrem Starschreiber''. Limmat Verlag, Zürich 1992, 151 p.
* Martin Durrer und Barbara Lukesch (ed.): ''Niklaus Meienberg als Anlass. Essays''
Limmat Verlag
Limmat Verlag is a Swiss publishing house, headquartered at ''Quellenstrasse 25'', 8003 Zürich, Switzerland. Founded in 1975 in Zürich, it is specialized in political history.
History and publishing fields
A group of young historians document ...
, Zürich 1988, 232 p.
References
External links
Literary estate of Niklaus Meienbergin the archive database HelveticArchives of the
Swiss National Library
The Swiss National Library (german: Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, french: Bibliothèque nationale suisse, it, Biblioteca nazionale svizzera, rm, Biblioteca naziunala svizra) is the national library of Switzerland. Part of the Federal Office ...
Publications by and about Niklaus Meienbergin the catalogue Helveticat of the
Swiss National Library
The Swiss National Library (german: Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, french: Bibliothèque nationale suisse, it, Biblioteca nazionale svizzera, rm, Biblioteca naziunala svizra) is the national library of Switzerland. Part of the Federal Office ...
* http://www.meienberg.ch – A post mortem hommage site of the Club Meienberg. It informs holistic and contains a databank of publications
''DER Meienberg'' 84 minutes About the post mortem documentary film from 1999]
Reviews to ''Reportagen'' Volumes 1+2
*
ttp://www.culturactif.ch/ecrivains/meienberg.htm A variety of articles, reviews etc.More secondary literature*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meienberg, Niklaus
Investigative journalists
Swiss writers
1940 births
1993 deaths
German-language writers
People from St. Gallen (city)
20th-century Swiss journalists