Eine Frau zu sehen by Annemarie Schwarzenbach

Still smarting from Erika's rejection, she spent the following years in Berlin.

A relationship developed, which much to Schwarzenbach's disappointment did not last long (Erika had her eye on another woman: the actress Therese Giehse), although they always remained friends. She was fascinated by Erika's charm and self-confidence. In 1930, she made contact with Erika and Klaus Mann (daughter and son of Thomas Mann). Shortly after completing her studies, she published her first novella Freunde um Bernhard ( Bernhard's Circle), which was well received. She started writing while still a student. She studied in Zürich and Paris and earned her doctorate in history at the University of Zurich at the age of 23. She liked dancing and was a keen piano player, but her heart was set on becoming a writer. In fact, in later life, she was often mistaken for a young man.Īt her private school in Zurich she studied mainly German, history and music, neglecting the other subjects. įrom an early age, she began to dress and act like a boy, a behaviour not discouraged by her parents and that she retained all her life.

Her father tolerated her mother's bisexuality. Her mother, Renée Schwarzenbach-Wille, the daughter of the Swiss general Ulrich Wille and descended from German aristocracy, was a prominent hostess, Olympic equestrian sportswoman and amateur photographer. Her father, Alfred, was a wealthy businessman in the silk industry. When she was four, the family moved to the Bocken Estate in Horgen, near Lake Zurich, where she grew up. Schwarzenbach reported on the early events of World War II, but died of a head injury, following a fall.Īnnemarie Schwarzenbach was born in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. In America, the young Carson McCullers was infatuated with Schwarzenbach, to whom she dedicated Reflections in a Golden Eye. She would live much of her life abroad as a photo-journalist, embarking on many lesbian relationships, and experiencing a growing morphine addiction. Her anti-fascist campaigning forced her into exile, where she became close to the family of novelist Thomas Mann. Her bisexual mother brought her up in a masculine style, and her androgynous image suited the bohemian Berlin society of the time, in which she indulged enthusiastically. Friedhof Horgen, Horgen, Switzerland Īnnemarie Minna Renée Schwarzenbach ( – 15 November 1942) was a Swiss writer, journalist and photographer.

Eine Frau zu sehen by Annemarie Schwarzenbach