Have you ever wanted to emigrate? Were you a nerd? hallowil asks people in the region questions. Today the literature professor with Wiler roots answers Hildegard E. Keller.
January 06, 2023 3:07 p.m
Adrian Zeller
Hildegard E. Keller about her school days in Wil: “I made deals with the boys. The strongest on the playground let me win if I let him copy.”
Photo: pd
What can you do to make you happy?
Hildegard E. Keller: With an invitation to dance or other “projects” that bring spirit, heart and beauty together. I love creative collaboration.
What can you do to drive you nuts?
With lukewarmness. I don’t like anything by halves, expect full commitment.
What makes you laugh?
I laugh a lot. About classics like Monty Python or Otto with Ina Müller, also the legendary Zouc and currently Hazel Brugger, Gabriel Vetter, American standup comedians.
What do you want others to say about you?
lifeblood!
Nerd or rascal, what were you like as a kid?
I was a rascal. I found it boring with the girls with their dolls. The best things for me were fighting and drawing; I am now finding my way back to the latter as an illustrator. Bored in kindergarten, but still too small for school, then too fast, too loud, too wild and too efficient at home. I made deals with the boys. The strongest on the playground let me win if I let him copy. I liked school because things were finally going well. One primary school teacher was so important to me that I still adore her today. She was one of my patron saints who stood by my path at the right time.
Have you ever thought about emigrating? If so, where to?
At 19 I “emigrated” to Italy (I stayed for half a year), at 22 to Central America (I lived there for a year), at 47 to the USA – for ten years.
Which is your favorite place?
Everywhere from where you can see the Säntis, and also where I forget that you should see the Säntis.
Early riser or night owl?
Both, depending on the season. When I have to finish a book, the days can get long.
Are you a fashion muddy or a fashionista?
Neither nor. I have favorite pieces that just belong to me.
What do you prefer, hearty cuisine or a gourmet menu?
I like the refined cuisine of my husband, who always enchants the everyday. He brings out the best in meatloaf, Lebanese dumplings and sausages. When I cook, I make pasta or invent a soup. We bullies like to experiment. What I had to eat too often as a child is no longer on the table (bircher mues and offal).
Where is the best place to relax?
In the water and in bed.
Do you have a vision?
“I know a miracle will happen one day.”
That’s just it Buch ULTRAFANTASÍA appeared. This completes the edition of the work of Alfonsina Storni, an Argentine native of Ticino, translated and designed by Hildegard Keller.
LINKS
https://www.editionmaulhelden.com/
https://www.hildegardkeller.ch/
Good to know:
Born in 1960, Hildegard Elisabeth Keller studied German, Hispanic Studies and Sociology. Today she works at Professor of Literature at the University of Zurich. She previously taught at Indiana University in Bloomington, USA. In Switzerland, she is best known for being a regular participant in the Swiss Television Literature Club. She was also a member of the jury for the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize in Klagenfurt. She also works as a writer, publisher, translator, documentary filmmaker, literary critic, thematic city guide, she offers literature mediation in connection with cuisine and is a producer of multimedia narrative forms. In 2017 she was granted a studio residency by the culture commission of the city of Wil
Last time city parliamentarians answered Alexander Lyner the questions from hallowil
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