Saturday 8 October 2016

FOR SIX CUPS OF COFFEE OR A WALK ROUND BASEL




The “I recommend” section of Chichester University’s Thresholds website allows contributors to recommend a short story, or collection of stories, by a favourite author. My choice, For Six Cups of Coffee and Other Stories, was inspired by memories of exploring the Swiss city of Basel, on foot, and in print. For a foreigner, Swiss authors have an easy, readable style, I suspect because they have to write in two steps, thinking in one language (their native dialect) but writing their thoughts down in another (Schriftditsch or written German).

With author Rainer Brambach for company, I peeked into life beyond the picture-postcard mediaeval centre of Basel. As in any big city, the dispossessed and homeless are there, hiding in plain sight and surviving on meagre handouts. Brambach depicts life on the margins with understanding but without sentimentality. 





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