Bewes wrote several books on his adopted country of Switzerland and served on the Public Council of SWI swissinfo.ch.
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Listening: Swiss-British author Diccon Bewes dead at 57
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.
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.
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.”
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An Englishman wants to know: How Swiss are you?
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How do you laugh like a Swiss? How should foreigners behave? Author Diccon Bewes takes a look these and other intriguing questions in his new book.
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.
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Diccon Bewes
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Author of the best-selling book ‘Swiss Watching’, Diccon Bewes addresses the kinds of questions often asked by expats in Switzerland.
A self-confessed chocoholic, Diccon is a resident of the Swiss capital, Bern. He’s found the city to be a great base for exploring the country in order to write about it, and – for swissinfo.ch – to make videos.
Diccon’s other books include ‘Around Switzerland in 80 Maps’ and ‘Slow Train to Switzerland’, which tells the story of the first conducted tour of Switzerland in 1863 and what it’s like to do that tour today.
Follow Diccon on Twitter @dicconb
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
A twin of the Milky Way existed in the young cosmos
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A billion years after the Big Bang, there was already a spiral galaxy that resembles the Milky Way, according to the James Webb Space Telescope
Trains resume service to Swiss ski resort Zermatt after heavy snowfall
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Zermatt can once again be reached by train starting Saturday afternoon. The Alpine holiday resort was inaccessible by land for some time after heavy snowfall last Thursday.
Authorities urge vigilance after heavy snowfall in southern Switzerland
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Vigilance remains the order of the day in the southern canton of Valais, despite a stable situation after heavy snow on Thursday, authorities said on Saturday.
Switzerland won’t be spared drug violence: criminal police head
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It is only a matter of time before Switzerland, like other countries in Europe, experiences an escalation in drug-related violence, says the head of the Federal Criminal Police.
Handful of Swiss Easter processions take place after inclement weather
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Traditional Good Friday processions continue to take place in some municipalities in Switzerland. In Romont, canton Fribourg, for example, the "Pleureuses" marched through the streets.
Great St. Bernard pass between Switzerland and Italy closed due to avalanche
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An avalanche forced the closure of the Great St. Bernard pass between Switzerland and Italy on Thursday. The route remains closed to Easter traffic.
‘Pressure will increase on Switzerland to invest more in defence’
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Markus Mäder, Switzerland's state secretary for security policy, believes that more cooperation is needed in order to strengthen defence in Europe.
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