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LIVING IN SWITZERLAND

How Switzerland’s English-language bookshops have become a community haven

Poetry clubs, writing groups, quiz nights, tea and scones – English-language bookshops in Switzerland offer customers a lot more than just reading tips. They have become a haven for people seeking community, Clare O’Dea writes. 

Published: 29 January 2024 16:30 CET
Rachel Bender and Matthew Wake of Books Books Books in Lausanne.
Rachel Bender and Matthew Wake of Books Books Books in Lausanne. Photo courtesy of Rachel Bender and Matthew Wake

Since the huge shift to online bookselling and e-books, it seems like a miracle that bricks-and-mortar bookshops have survived at all. Those that have weathered the storm have done so thanks to strong ties with their customers, as seen in Switzerland’s independent English-language bookshops in Zurich, Lausanne and Geneva.

When Matthew Wake and his colleague Rachel Bender of Books Books Books in Lausanne organised a 15th birthday tea party for the shop last November, they ran out of mugs pretty quickly. Seventy-five people turned up over a Saturday afternoon, most of them familiar faces.

“These are people who love reading and have an emotional attachment to the shop,” Matthew explains. He describes the shop as an anchor for English speakers in the city. “You need places like that when you move to a new country.”

Books Books Books benefits from a close connection to the literary festival Le livre sur les quais in nearby Morges, which has been running for a similar length of time. Big names come to Morges every year, including the latest Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch.

“We had Paul in the shop for an event two years ago and when he won recently, we all knew him and celebrated the news.” Paul Lynch even judged the shop’s annual creative writing prize for Swiss high school students. 

Rachel Bender and Matthew Wake of Books Books Books in Lausanne.

Rachel Bender and Matthew Wake of Books Books Books in Lausanne. Photo courtesy of Rachel Bender and Matthew Wake

We, in this case, is the community of regulars who attend events and keep in touch with the shop. Over in Zurich, another community has grown around Pile of Books, a friendly bookshop up a quiet side street in the trendy district of Wiedikon.

Ella Rosen works at the shop and enjoys organising different kinds of events to bring different groups in, from little kids to writers. “Part of what matters to me is to make people feel welcome because I feel this city doesn’t always do that.”

Coming up next month, Ella is organising a silent reading rave. “It’s a new thing. People can come in after closing time and we’ll all have a quiet reading session together.” Pile of Books has already successfully tried out a ‘shut up and write’ evening. After introductions, they set a timer and everyone works on their own writing.

READ ALSO: How hard is it to make friends in Switzerland?

‘Almost like a pub’ 

But it’s not all about attending events. Many customers appreciate a friendly exchange when they come in to browse. Stauffacher English bookshop in Bern boasts the city’s most extensive selection of English books inside the large flagship Swiss store.

“It’s always been like a bookshop within a bookshop up here on the second floor,” Michael Yates of Stauffacher says. “We have our own identity and English-speaking staff. A lot of people just like to speak English for a change. Yesterday I had a chat with a customer about the American election. It’s almost like a pub where you come in and say hello.”

Customers in Stauffacher can also fill their shopping bags with British and American food, the top-selling item being Yorkshire Tea. “It’s nice for people to be able to buy the foods they miss, especially baking ingredients and chocolate.”

Book clubs go with the territory for Books Books Books, Pile of Books and the English bookshop at Stauffacher. At one stage, Books Books Books hosted seven book clubs but the pandemic broke that run.

The monthly reading circle at Stauffacher Bern is hosted by best-selling author and former employee Diccon Bewes. “Between ten and twenty people come in for the evening discussion in the shop,” Michael says.

“Another hugely popular thing is the children’s hour on the first Saturday of every month. We have lots of kids coming in with their parents to hear Joe Quinn read. They love him. But it’s also another way for people to meet and chat.”

‘Long-term connection with people’

Switzerland is home to a significant number of English-language authors, many of whom have a local following and hold launches and signings at Swiss bookshops. Florence Reisch-Gentinetta presented her new book “Expat Wife Happy Life” at Pages & Sips in Geneva last month.

Pages & Sips is the new kid on the block, open since September 2022. It is a hybrid bookshop and cafe, a successful formula in lots of cities. The shop boasts a highly literary location, across the street from the house where Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born.

A cup of tea and a book

English speakers in Switzerland have found a haven in the bookshops. Photo: Katrina_S from Pixabay

Pile of Books in Zurich also offers coffee to customers – but on an informal basis when things are quiet. Ella Ronen enjoys when new people discover the shop for the first time.

“The shop is deceptively large. It’s very magical when you come in. There’s a moment of people’s eyes lighting up when they come in and realise that there is all this space and a seating area in the back.”

The story of Pile of Books almost closing illustrates the importance of the communities that have flourished around these independent bookshops.

The shop had been running for several years and had even made it through Covid when the previous owner announced his retirement. Word got out that the shop was closing, and customers were really disappointed – until one regular customer stepped in and bought the business. He put together the team that runs the place today.

For the staff and owners, it’s a labour of love. As Matthew Wake says, he feels incredibly lucky to work with books. “We love reading, we love books, we love talking about books. That’s a passion we have and it’s what gives us this long-term connection with people.”

A dynamic, up-to-date guide to Swiss society and current affairs, All About Switzerland ebook features a selection of 29 articles by Clare O’Dea. The articles were first published by The Local Switzerland from 2022 to 2024. The ebook is available on Amazon, Kobo and other retailers.

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OPINION AND ANALYSIS

OPINION: Switzerland is a better place than 20 years ago, but much can still improve

From attitudes towards foreigners and improvements in work-life balance, Clare O'Dea examines how Switzerland has changed over the last 20 years and how it hasn't ('the Swiss still don't know how to queue'). Her new book All About Switzerland is now available - details below.

Published: 18 May 2024 10:49 CEST
OPINION: Switzerland is a better place than 20 years ago, but much can still improve

In the 20 years that I’ve been writing about Switzerland, I’ve tended to focus on one part of the picture at a time. Standing back from the canvas, I can see that there has been a pretty positive evolution in the country over that time.

The change has happened in measurable ways – an extra 1.6 million inhabitants, for one thing – but also in ways that are difficult to define. What I notice is more tolerance, more questioning of the norm, and more focus on fairness.

Some of this has come about through facing up to the wrongs of the past, whether that’s the historical abuse of children in the care system, the denial of the vote to women for so long (until 1971!), or the seizing of dictators’ assets.

Although it takes a painfully long time, mistakes and injustices do eventually come to light and there has been an appropriate reaction of self-recrimination and reflection towards these wrongs, and a willingness to make amends. All this has made Switzerland a better place.

READ ALSO: Are foreigners to blame if they find the Swiss unfriendly?

The foreign factor

When it comes to foreigners, there has definitely been in a positive change in attitudes towards immigrants from the countries of the former Yugoslavia. I detected very strong prejudice against this group in my early years in Switzerland. The second generation has now grown up here and found their place in all walks of Swiss life.

Unfortunately, asylum seekers have borne the brunt of xenophobia in recent years, with the notable exception of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war of aggression, who were granted special treatment. Switzerland has welcomed more than 80,000 Ukrainians since 2022, about a quarter of whom have since left the country.

Several cantons, notably Neuchâtel, have led the way in extending more rights to foreign residents and making it easier for them to integrate or obtain Swiss nationality. But naturalisation rates are still low, which is a pity for the Swiss, if only they would realise that.

When I first came to live in Switzerland from Ireland, I benefitted from the newly-valid agreement on the free movement of persons with the EU and EFTA countries. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Swiss and EU/EFTA nationals have been free to move countries for work, adventure, love or retirement.

Those immigrant workers have been a boon to the Swiss economy, which has one of the highest levels of GDP per capita in the world. Travel wise, Switzerland is well and truly integrated into Europe, joining the Schengen Area in 2008.

OPINION: The true signs you are becoming more Swiss than the Swiss

Family matters

Just this week, my twin daughters, who are Swiss citizens, received their first ever ballots for the next federal and cantonal votes on June 9th. Apart from reminding me of the fact that foreigners in Switzerland are largely excluded from the democratic process, this landmark also reminds me of how times have changed in relation to maternity rights.

It is hard to believe that Swiss women did not have statutory paid maternity leave until 2005. Voters had rejected the notion that women should have guaranteed paid leave after giving birth on four previous occasions – 1974, 1984, 1987 and again in 1999.

For all those years, maternity benefits were left up to employers to dictate, which was clearly not enough protection for all mothers. Today, new mothers are entitled to 14 weeks statutory leave but most employers offer more than that. Since 2021, fathers in Switzerland have been entitled to two weeks paternity leave.

There’s definitely room for improvement in the area of work-life balance for families, and there are some ideas in the pipeline, including state subsidies for childcare. With a fertility rate of 1.39 births per woman in 2022, Swiss-born babies is not where population growth is coming from.

Taking turns

One issue that seems almost unfixable in Switzerland is the high cost of healthcare. The country has the second most expensive system in the world, after the United States. Most of the cost is shouldered by households, directly or indirectly.

Whatever about the cost, the care itself is excellent and relatively well staffed. With one in three healthcare workers holding a foreign diploma, including a large proportion of cross-border workers.

On June 9th, Swiss voters will get to decide on two people’s initiatives, both of which aim to curb the cost to consumers. My impression in the past was that the Swiss were reluctant to vote for freebies for themselves. But this may be the right timing for these proposals, considering that voters accepted an initiative in March of this year to increase the state pension by 8 per cent.

When it comes to daily life in Switzerland, politeness and order is the rule, with one exception – the Swiss still don’t know how to queue! I had this experience just the other day waiting outside a small museum that was only letting in a few people at a time. If you can cope with that fundamental flaw, the rest is easy.

All About Switzerland

A dynamic, up-to-date guide to Swiss society and current affairs, All About Switzerland ebook features a selection of 29 articles by Clare O’Dea. The articles were first published by The Local Switzerland from 2022 to 2024. The ebook is available on Amazon, Kobo and other retailers.

Originally from Dublin, Clare O’Dea has lived in Switzerland for two decades. Author of fiction and non-fiction, Clare has had a varied media career in Ireland and Switzerland, with a stint in Russia. She has contributed articles to The Local Switzerland since 2022. Her new book All About Switzerland: Selected articles from The Local Switzerland is Clare’s fourth and is available as an e-book online.

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