Peter
Weber

Peter Weber was born in the Toggenburg Valley in 1968. He started writing while living in Zurich, his second home since leaving school. His first literary success was the novel ‘Der Wettermacher’ (The Weathermaker), published by Suhrkamp in 1993, followed by ‘Silber und Salbader’ (Suhrkamp 1999) and ‘Die melodielosen Jahre’ (Suhrkamp 2007). He has a soft spot for train stations, as reflected in his ‘Bahnhofsprosa’, published in 2002. Furthermore, train stations served him as a stage for his music. He has received many literary awards, including the Alemannischer Literaturpreis in 2008.

Peter Weber’s work is marked by his abundant imagination and his strong sense of rhythm. He uses rhythm to investigate language and language to explore rhythm. No surprise, then, that his instrument is the Jew’s harp. No surprise that he uses an orange-coloured mechanical typewriter. No surprise that his working rhythm is in tune with the requirements of his moon-eyed dog, who always greets you with a friendly bark. Although the novelist could translate every single word his dog says, he never interferes with her business.

Peter Weber is a transient, who keeps his own rhythm. It is hard to catch a glimpse of him. But if you do, he is fully dedicated to you and the world around him. Not only to the noises, characterizing landscapes and places, but also the silent things such as mushrooms and clouds. In the dome of our Fotorefractor he discovered a perfect sundial.

When and where the next message or novel from the hidden poet will wash up upon a beach, always remains a surprise. But most certainly it will be according to the tide.