Publishing and National Culture: the Swiss Experience

LOGOS Publishing and national culture: The Swiss experience

Peter Oprecht How does a small country with four native lan guages, none of which is English and only one of which is indigenous, build a national literature and a cohesive publishing industry? The ancient and recent history of Switzerland illustrates that it can be done, albeit with difficulties, and periods of pres sure from predatory neighbours. •'•S, The Swiss book trade is as old as any in A career-long bookseller and Europe, dating back to Gutenberg. Printing presses publisher, Peter Oprecht was were set up in Basel in 1460, the year in which Basel Director of the Swiss Booksellers University was founded. In pre-Gutenberg Switzer land (which first established its national identity in and Publishers Association from 1291), there were substantial book collections in the 1966 to 1987. He continues to monasteries of Reichenau, St Gallen, Einsiedeln, serve booksellers, publishers and Engelberg, Pfafers and St Urban in today's German- trade associations as a consultant. speaking Switzerland, and in St Maurice, Romain- motier, St Ursanne and Moutier-Grandval in the French-speaking area. These monasteries were all famous for their "writing rooms". In the late Middle Ages, Zurich was distinguished for its Manessische Liederhandschrift (Manesse Collection of Song Manuscripts). Berne was also celebrated for its Chroniken (Chronicles). The early Swiss printers - Johann Amer- bach, Johann Froben and Johann Petri in Basel or Christoph Froschauer in Zurich - were also pub lishers and booksellers. It was soon clear that the domestic market was not large enough to absorb their publications or to enable them to make a profit. Export sales outlets had to be found - a situ ation with which Swiss publishers have had to con tend throughout the centuries right up to the present day. Printers in Basel offered their publica tions in Leipzig and carried out commissions for customers in Niimberg. By modem standards, print runs were low. Often, even members of the aristoc racy could not read or write (although women were exceptions to the mle) and had to rely on graduates of monastic or convent schools, especially if they required texts written in Latin.

The Reformation and Counter-Reforma in Swiss printing and publishing. The great Euro tion gave great impetus to the Swiss printing indus pean power struggles from 1618 to 1648 exerted try. At that time, it was not possible, of course, to only a marginal influence on Switzerland, but conduct the so-called Kulturkampf (struggle caused considerable economic decline by halting between Church and State) via newspapers, radio foreign trade. It was only during the Enlighten or television. The only mass communication ment, with its demands for freedom of speech and medium available - apart from leaflets - was books. tolerance of diverse views, that Zurich's intellectu The printing and publishing industry als, poets, translators and artists (e g Bodmer, Gess- developed at different rates in different parts of ner and Breitinger), together with the printers Orell Switzerland. Geneva is first quoted as place of pub and Fiissli, succeeded in propelling the printing and lication in 1478. Fribourg is not mentioned until a publishing industry into a new period of prosperity. hundred years later. This reflects the influence of The books published under their management are the Reformation. However, Geneva was important quite captivating, not only in their content, but for other reasons: The market in French-speaking also in their beautiful and well-balanced design. Switzerland was so small that books not saleable The 19th century saw another recession. abroad could not be published. Printers in Fribourg According to Willy Rotzler (Buchkunst in der could not approach the French market as easily as Schweiz, Ravensburg 1969): their counterparts in Geneva because the Protes "The fundamental problems which beset tant city of Berne stood in their way. Their the early 19th century, combined with petty local conflicts, dragged the flourish The National Socialist rise ing cultural and intellectual circles down to power in Germany at from the heights which had enabled the the beginning of 1933 and Swiss publishing and printing industry to 79 open up so much to the world in the late the opinions it foisted on I8th century...The classical elegance and cultural, literary and grace reflected in architecture, the applied intellectual circles led to a arts, and especially book design, were fol wave of self-analysis in lowed by the romantic, bourgeois "Bieder- Switzerland. meier" period with its tendency towards the small, sweet and sentimental. The Counter-Reformation publications contributed to books produced during this period in the supremacy of the Catholic faith in this region Switzerland reflect precisely these traits: almost to the present day. Instead of profound, intellectually The printing industry in Berne never demanding works and academic articles, managed to attain great significance, partly because publishers produced enjoyable, intimate its rulers were so involved with administration that books..." they had no time to concem themselves with liter ary creation and partly because the state-owned ilfi ii: ^ ^ :^ printing firm in Berne was assigned all the impor tant printing commissions. Private printers were left The National Socialist rise to power in with the crumbs, a story repeated in some develop Germany at the beginning of 1933 and the opin ing countries today. ions it foisted on cultural, literary and intellectual In St Gallen, no one requested permission circles led to a wave of self-analysis in Switzerland to set up a press until 1578. This was due to the which resulted in a policy called Geistige Lan- dominating influence of the monastery with its desverteidigung (National Intellectual Defence). In famous writing room and its strong tradition of pro the spring of 1934, a group of booksellers and pub ducing books - a tradition which endured over lishers met in Basel to discuss how to proceed in the nearly a thousand years. best interests of the Swiss publishing industry. As In the 17th century, there was a decline they did not foresee any change in Germany's polit-