Remembering Peter Bieri: The Swiss Author Behind ‘Night Train to Lisbon’ Leaves a Lasting Legacy at 79
Renowned Swiss philosopher and novelist Pascal Mercier, whose real name was Peter Bieri, has passed away at the age of 79, as announced by his publisher Hanser Verlag. Bieri, known for his notable works such as “Night Train to Lisbon” (Nachtzug nach Lissabon) in 2004, which was later adapted into a successful film, and “The Weight of Words” (Das Gewicht der Worte), published in 2020, leaves behind a remarkable literary legacy.
Describing the loss, publisher Jo Lendle stated in a press release, “We have lost a great thinker and novelist.” Bieri passed away on June 27, leaving behind a body of work that captivated readers and provoked contemplation.
Bieri’s intellectual journey began after completing high school in Bern, where he pursued studies in philosophy, classical philology, Indology, and English in London and Heidelberg. Intrigued by Indian thought, he made a shift from Indology to philosophy shortly before finishing his studies, earning his doctorate in Heidelberg in 1971.
Having conducted research and taught at prestigious institutions such as Berkeley, Harvard, Bielefeld, and Marburg, Bieri assumed a professorship at the Free University of Berlin in 1993. His areas of expertise included epistemology and moral philosophy, and he became known for the Bieri Trilemma, a core problem in the philosophy of mind. Bieri held his position at the FU Berlin until 2007.
Bieri’s career as a novelist began with the publication of his debut work, “Perlmann’s Silence” (Perlmanns Schweigen), in 1995. Initially writing under the pseudonym Pascal Mercier, his true identity as a philosopher from Bern teaching in Berlin was revealed after the success of his second novel, “The Piano Tuner” (Der Klavierstimmer), in 1998. Bieri, who was 51 at the time, shared his apprehensions with Der Spiegel, expressing his fear of the potential backlash from his academic colleagues upon discovering his double life as a fiction writer. Publishing fiction while holding a respected position in academia was seen as unconventional, and Bieri faced scrutiny for his creative pursuits.
In 2013, “Night Train to Lisbon” was adapted into a film, starring British actor Jeremy Irons. The story follows a modest schoolteacher from Bern who embarks on a journey to Portugal after two chance encounters, in search of a doctor and poet whose ideas have profoundly impacted him. The novel achieved immense popularity, selling millions of copies and being translated into over 40 languages. Renowned Chilean author Isabel Allende praised it as “one of the best books [she had] read in a long time.” The film, directed by Billie August, garnered significant attention and drew substantial audiences in Switzerland and Germany.
In the same year, under his own name, Peter Bieri published “A Way of Living: On the Diversity of Human Dignity,” further solidifying his position as a philosopher and thinker. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the Tractatus Essay Prize of the Philosophicum Lech in 2014.
Lendle aptly summarized Bieri’s contribution, stating, “The philosopher has learnt from the storyteller – and vice versa. His novels bring the great questions of humanity to life.” Peter Bieri, or Pascal Mercier, will be remembered as both an intellectual and a captivating storyteller, whose writings breathed life into profound human inquiries.
