Swiss-British author Diccon Bewes dead at 57

Bewes wrote several books on his adopted country of Switzerland and served on the Public Council of SWI swissinfo.ch. swissinfo.ch

The author of the bestselling book Swiss Watching, Diccon Bewes, died on March 11 after a battle with cancer. Bewes, who wrote several books on life and travel in Switzerland, was a member of SWI swissinfo.ch’s Public Council.

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Born and raised in England, Bewes moved to the Swiss capital Bern in 2005, where he became manager of the English bookshop at Stauffacher. Swiss Watching, Bewes’ light-hearted look at life in Switzerland as an outsider with a foot firmly planted in the country, topped the bestseller list after it was published in 2010.

Several other books and their translations in German and French followed, including Slow Train to Switzerland, Around Switzerland in 80 Maps and Cartographica Helvetica, a map book for children.

+ Listen to Diccon Bewes talk to SWI swissinfo.ch about his book, Swiss Watching

A self-described “author, traveller and chocolate-lover”, Bewes studied international relations at the London School of Economics before setting off on an 18-month journey around the world. He later spent a decade working for Lonely Planet and the travel magazine Holiday Which?

In 2017, he told SWI swissinfo.ch that he loved living in Switzerland, his “second home […] I love the work-life balance that so many people value and the fact that the pace of life is slower and more relaxed.”

Bewes served for several years on SWI swissinfo.ch’s Public Council, which advises the editorial team on content. In 2016 he presented a series of short video explainers for SWI on the quirkier aspects of the Swiss way of life. His final book, The Best Swiss Train Rides, will be published in April.

Bewes, who Tamedia reported became a Swiss citizen in 2020, is survived by his husband.