The Swiss philosopher and writer Peter Bieri, who became known under his alias Pascal Mercier, is dead. This was announced by the Hanser publishing house on Tuesday. According to a spokeswoman, he died in Berlin, where he last lived.
The 79-year-old is best known for his novel Night Train to Lisbon, which was published in 2004. With this he achieved worldwide success. The novel about a classical language teacher who one day breaks out of his rut and embarks on an adventurous search for meaning has become one of the most popular books by a Swiss author worldwide. The book has sold millions of copies, and according to Hanser-Verlag, the translation rights have been granted in more than 40 languages worldwide. A Bille August film adaptation starring Jeremy Irons was released in 2013.
Bieri, who was born on June 23, 1944 in Bern, published five novels as Pascal Mercier. For his debut “Perlmanns Schweigen” (1995) he adopted the pseudonym to ensure an unbiased reception and to avoid any conclusions about his academic profession. With the next book “Der Klavierstimmer” (1998) he revealed his true identity, but kept the pseudonym. The last novel, “Weight of Words”, was published in 2020.
His literary works were often intertwined with his philosophical work. He has written numerous philosophical books, most recently “A Way to Live: About the Diversity of Human Dignity” from 2013. His main philosophical work is “The Craft of Freedom” (2001). It became a non-fiction bestseller.
“We are losing a great thinker and novelist,” said publisher Jo Lendle. “Peter Bieri has shown in his own name and under his nom de plume all his life how thoughts and stories inspire each other: The philosopher learned from the narrator – and vice versa, his novels bring the great questions of humanity to life. His books remain. We are thank him for it.”