Dr. Fritz Gysin

Biography

Fritz Gysin was a Professor emeritus of English American Literature at the University of Bern, a position he held from October 1980 until his retirement in September 2002. He taught various subjects, including drama, fiction, poetry from the Puritans to Postmodernists, African American literature, and literary theory. Throughout his academic career, he served as president of the Swiss Association for North American Studies (SANAS) and was a founding member and board member of the Colloquium African American Research (CAAR). He has published significant works, including 'Grotesque American Negro Fiction' in 1975, 'Model Motif Tristram Shandy' in 1983, and edited 'Apocalypse' in 1999 alongside Christopher Mulvey. His research interests focused on boundaries in recent African American fiction and interfaces of Black fiction and Jazz. Gysin's love for music was evident in his passion for playing the piano and drumming for local carnivals. He was actively involved in editing a work titled 'Complexions Race: African Atlantic Writing,' collaborating on an article discussing Percival Everett's 'Erasure.' Professor Gysin passed away on August 1, 2025.

Research Interests