Charly Clerc

Charly Clerc first studied Protestant theology before turning to literature. During his studies, he attended the universities of Lausanne, Berlin, Marburg, Paris, and Neuchâtel 2. After receiving a Ph.D. in literature from Paris University, he taught at various higher educational institutions in Switzerland. He was a regular contributor to the review La Semaine littéraire and the Gazette de Lausanne, and wrote numerous articles on Swiss artistic and cultural life bridging the gap between French and Swiss-German cultures. He translated several works by Swiss-German writer Gottfried Keller into French.

Although, Clerc was rather a columnist and essayist, nevertheless wrote several plays, a collection of poems and stories. When he retired from his chair of French literature at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, which he held since 1933, he was appointed an Officer of the Legion of Honor.