Life as an Aesthetic Experience in Literature by Erica Pedretti

In today's global world, it is worth exploring how authors with migrant back-grounds tackle the challenges of modern society, since they not only describe different cultures but also offer lived transcultural experience. Often such authors layer distinct cultures one over another, and their literature can often be called autobiographical. There have been only a few authors whose literary works have skirted the edges of their biographies and nevertheless succeeded in distancing themselves from their lives so that their biographies on paper became convincing fiction. This holds for the Swiss author, actually a Sudeten German, Erica Pedretti, who was famous for her experiments with language, for which she received the prestigious Ingeborg Bachmann prize in 1984 as well as the international Vilenica prize in 1999. The paper describes the liter-ary works of this author-who was also famous for her paintings and sculp-ture-beginning with a very small book Harmloses, bitte in 1970, and ending with her last novel, Das Kuckuckskind oder Was ich ihr unbedingt noch sagen wollte from 1998, as well as the small booklet fremd genug from 2010, and the notes in which she tried to record her own experiences, transforming them into aesthetics while primarily challenging behavioral norms.

Automated summary

In today's globalized world, exploring the challenges faced by authors with migrant backgrounds is important as they provide a unique perspective on different cultures and offer firsthand transcultural experiences. Some authors adeptly blend multiple cultures in their autobiographical literature, creating convincing fiction. Erica Pedretti, a Swiss author of Sudeten German origin, is renowned for her innovative use of language and has received prestigious awards for her literary works. This paper examines Pedretti's literary journey, starting from her small book "Harmloses, bitte" in 1970, to her final novel "Das Kuckuckskind oder Was ich ihr unbedingt noch sagen wollte" in 1998, as well as her booklet "fremd genug" in 2010, and her notes that challenge societal norms by transforming personal experiences into aesthetics.