Cuno Affolter
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Cuno in his labyrinth: in the annex building of Lausanne Municipal Library, Cuno Affolter has a whole bunker with empty shelves to organize the thousands of books stored in dozens of boxes, waiting to be cataloged. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch -
Pierre-Yves Lador, director of Lausanne City Library, started the comics collection in 1979. In 1999, when Cuno Affolter was appointed chief-curator of the collection, it counted already 40.000 volumes. But Cuno also brought his own, practically doubling this figure, and adding a valuable number of original drafts and rare editions. But private collectors from all over the country have also donated considerable quantities of books, many still kept in boxes. swissinfo.ch -
When asked about an estimate of how many volumes the Library has right now, Cuno is very objective: "I have no idea at all". Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch -
The universe of comics transcends the pages: toys, dolls, curios, cards and a vast range of comics-related objects are also part of the collection. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch -
Cuno Affolter was born in Olten in 1958, and is an active observer of the comics scene, in Switzerland and abroad, since the early 1980s. Journalist, curator, consultant, Cuno is not the usual 'nerd' collector. His passionate interest for the arts in general - and counter-cultural arts in particular - enables him to always consider the social, economic and cultural perspectives of the comics universe. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch -
One of the jewels of the crown: first edition of "Tintin au Congo", 1931. swissinfo.ch -
In 1936 Mickey Mouse gained a Swiss version, published in Zurich, but it didn't last long. The books were craftily made, like this pop-up sample, but they were also too expensive for the average Swiss of that time. swissinfo.ch -
Closing the bunker. In spite of the helpful aid of assistants and the support of the City Library, Cuno Affolter estimates that cataloging the collection is the work of a lifetime. swissinfo.ch
- Español Cuno Affolter
- Português Cuno Affolter
- 中文 库诺·阿伏特
- Français Au coeur du trésor avec son gardien
- عربي كونو آفّولتر
- Pусский Комиксы из сокровищницы Куно Аффольтера
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