Thomas Bodmer Livres

This raven is dedicated to all cinemas that show films in their original version and on properly large screens, as well as to Kurt, the operator, and my second living room, the Filmpodium of the city of Zurich. "When Clark Gable, Howard Hawks, and William Faulkner once drove through Palm Springs, the conversation also turned to literature. Gable, whose ignorance was considered almost classic, casually asked Hawks' gray-haired friend which writers he thought were worthwhile. 'Thomas Mann, Willa Cather, John Dos Passos, Ernest Hemingway, and I,' said Faulkner. Gable seemed mildly surprised. 'Oh, you write, Mr. Faulkner?' he asked. 'Yes,' said Faulkner, 'and what do you do, Mr. Gable?'" Otto Friedrich, "City of Nets," a portrait of Hollywood in the 1940s. "The last time I was - wait, I think it was 1956 - 'at the cinema'; and even then only because it was said that the screenplay had been written by WERFEL; what was the thing called? - 'Damm=Da=Dámm=Da and the Colonel' (I no longer remember the first name; but it was 4 syllables, and had the accent on the penultimate). The theme was significant enough; unfortunately, 'it was not lacking in humor,' and to such a silly degree that I felt ashamed for the author, director, and actors." Arno Schmidt to Alfred Andersch on August 16, 1960.

When a young immigrant girl has to travel to a new country and start at a new school, she is accompanied by her Fear who tells her to be alone and afraid, growing bigger and bigger every day with questions like How can you hope to make new friends if you don t understand their language?

From Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Ted Kooser and rising talent Jon Klassen comes a poignant tale of loss, change, and nature's quiet triumph. When the house was new, not a single tree remained on its perfect lawn to give shade from the sun. The children in the house trailed the scent of wild trees to neighboring lots, where thick bushes offered up secret places to play. When the children grew up and moved away, their father, alone in the house, continued his battle against blowing seeds, plucking out sprouting trees. Until one day the father, too, moved away, and as the empty house began its decline, the trees began their approach. At once wistful and exhilarating, this lovely, lyrical story evokes the inexorable passage of time — and the awe-inspiring power of nature to lift us up.

Der Autor, Neffe von Martin Bodmer, erzählt die Geschichte des Gottfried Keller-Preises von der Gründung 1921 bis 1947. Die Folgejahre bis 2007 sind im Anhang dokumentiert. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf den Anfängen, der Herausbildung einer Vergabepolitik und auf den Jahren 1933 bis 1945. Ein zweiter Fokus richtet sich auf den persönlichen und geistigen Werdegang von Martin Bodmer. Dieser wird anhand der Preisgeschichte als ein etwas unbedarfter jugendlicher Geldgeber charakterisiert, der sich im Laufe der Zeit zum professionellen Grosssammler entwickelte. Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg verlor er sein Interesse am Preis zugunsten seiner Sammlung. Daher kommt der heute in Genf beheimateten Bibliotheca Bodmeriana ein besonderer Stellenwert zu.