Literature Christian Haller talks about the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute

Christian Haller sheds light on a piece of contemporary history with his novel "Das Institut". Last year, he received the Swiss Book Prize for "Sich lichtende Nebel".

The subtle novella "Sich lichtende Nebel" revolves around questions of perception. In it, Haller tells how the young physicist Werner Heisenberg reflects on the accuracy of observations. He comes to the conclusion that all knowledge remains objectively blurred because we observers are always part of the observation.

What Heisenberg related to physics, Christian Haller deals with on a human level in his new novel. His protagonist Thyl Osterholz takes up a temporary position at the "Institute for Social Affairs" in order to rise to a managerial position within a short space of time. What could be seen as proof of his abilities is also due to a struggle for power within the institute.

How can we recognize dynamic processes of which we ourselves are a part? The Institute regularly poses such questions at conferences. The influence of technology and economics on society is one of Osterholz's core areas of interest. These questions also increasingly affect him personally.

Duttweiler Institute in the 1970s

In view of the strategic planning games, he is confronted with his own role at the institute. Christian Haller tells the story from the perspective of his protagonist as he realizes more and more clearly that he himself is a means to an end. But for whom? His naive interest in factual issues begins to crack and Osterholz has to decide whether he wants to play along or quit.

The novel tells a broader and more vivid story than the award-winning novella, which is why it lacks the latter's artful compactness. The author takes another deep dive into a time when he himself worked at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute in Rüschlikon, which is close to Migros. He wrote about this back in 2017 in the novel "Das unaufhaltsame Fliessen". Back in the 1970s, the director of the institute, Hans A. Pestalozzi, caused a stir that led to public debate and a restructuring of the institute. In this sense, Haller's new novel is also a key book that illuminates a piece of contemporary history with literary vividness.

*This text by Beat Mazenauer, Keystone-SDA, was realized with the help of the Gottlieb and Hans Vogt Foundation.