Peter von Matt (20 May 1937 – 21 April 2025) was a Swiss
philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...
, specialist in German studies, and author. He was an authority in literary education.
Life and career
Born in
Lucerne
Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...
on 20 May 1937,
Peter von Matt grew up in
Stans
Stans () is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Nidwalden (Nidwald) in Switzerland.
The official language of Stans is German language, German (spoken there in the variety of Swiss Standard German), but the main language is the ...
in the canton of
Nidwalden
Canton of Nidwalden or Nidwald ( ; ; ; ) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven municipalities and the seat of the government and parliament is in Stans. It is traditionally considered a " half-canto ...
.
He studied
art history
Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history.
Tradit ...
as well as German and
English studies in
Zurich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
and received a doctorate with
Emil Staiger
Emil Staiger (8 February 1908 – 28 April 1987) was a Swiss historian, writer, Germanist and Professor of German Studies at the University of Zurich.
Life
Staiger was born on 8 February 1908 in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. After graduating fro ...
on
Franz Grillparzer
Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer (15 January 1791 – 21 January 1872) was an Austrian writer who was considered to be the leading Austrian dramatist of the 19th century. His plays were and are frequently performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna. He ...
.
In 1970, he received his post doctorate lecturing qualifications with a work on
E. T. A. Hoffmann.
From 1976 to 2002, von Matt taught at the
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...
as a Professor of Newer German Literature.
He was a guest professor at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
in 1980 and a Fellow of the
Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin
The Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin () is an interdisciplinary institute founded in 1981 in Grunewald (locality), Grunewald, Berlin, Germany, dedicated to research projects in the natural and social sciences. It is modeled after the orig ...
in 1992/93.
Von Matt was a member of the
Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
The Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung (in English German Academy for Language and Literature) was founded on 28 August 1949, on the 200th birthday of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, in the Paulskirche, Frankfurt, Paulskirche in Frankfurt. I ...
,
the
Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
The Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (), abbreviated BBAW, is the official academic society for the natural sciences and humanities for the German states of Berlin and Brandenburg. Housed in three locations in and around Ber ...
, the
Academia Europaea
The Academia Europaea is a pan-European Academy of humanities, letters, law, and sciences.
The Academia was founded in 1988 as a functioning Europe-wide Academy that encompasses all fields of scholarly inquiry. It acts as co-ordinator of Europe ...
,
the
Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities
The Göttingen Academy of Sciences (name since 2023 : )Note that the German ''Wissenschaft'' has a wider meaning than the English "Science", and includes Social sciences and Humanities. is the oldest continuously existing institution among the eig ...
, and the
Sächsische Akademie der Künste (Saxon Academy of the Arts).
He wrote regular contributions for the ''
Frankfurter Anthologie''.
He regularly appeared on
Marcel Reich-Ranicki's literary talk show ''Literarisches Quartett'' on German public television.
Reich-Ranicki once called von Matt the "best writer of German-speaking Switzerland".
Von Matt was a friend of
Max Frisch
Max Rudolf Frisch (; 15 May 1911 – 4 April 1991) was a Swiss playwright and novelist. Frisch's works focused on problems of identity (social science), identity, individuality, Moral responsibility, responsibility, morality, and political commi ...
.
In his essays, von Matt also wrote on social and political issues,
and explored the European identity and the Swiss soul.
In a legendary appearance at the
Ingeborg Bachmann Prize in 1991, von Matt protested against prejudices towards Swiss literature: "As soon as a Swiss person reads, it is immediately said that they have a tongue like a forest snail". In his book ''Liebesverrat : die Treulosen in der Literatur'', he guided entertainingly through love dramas in world literature.
He was married to literary critic Beatrice von Matt-Albrecht and lived with her in
Dübendorf
Dübendorf is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Uster (district), Uster in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zürich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland.
It is a suburb of Zürich in Switzerland with a population o ...
near Zurich.
Von Matt died in Zurich on 21 April 2025, at the age of 87.
Der Literatur-Betrachter: Peter von Matt mit 87 gestorben.
zeit.de (dpa), 22 April 2025 (in German). Retrieved 22 April 2025.
Works
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* The Wild and the Ordered. About German Literature
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* Winner of the 2012 Swiss Book Prize.
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Thesis
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Awards
*1991: Johann Heinrich Merck Prize for Literary Critique and EssayPour le Mérite
The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...
for Science and ArtHeinrich Mann Prize
The Heinrich Mann Prize () is an essay prize that has been awarded since 1953, first by the East German Academy of Arts, then by the Academy of Arts, Berlin. The prize, which comes with a €10,000 purse, is given annually on 27 March, Heinrich ...
Goethe Prize
The Goethe Prize of the City of Frankfurt () is an award for achievement "worthy of honour in memory of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe" made by the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was usually an annual award until 1955, and thereafter has been ...
References
Further reading
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Obituaries
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External links
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Literature by and on Peter von Matt
in the Catalog of the German National Library
The German National Library (DNB; ) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to collect, permanently archive, comprehens ...
A*dS-Lexikon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matt, Peter von
1937 births
2025 deaths
Academic staff of the University of Zurich
Swiss Germanists
Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)
Heinrich Mann Prize winners
Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin
People from Dübendorf
Swiss Book Prize winners