“Auf ein Wort – Begegnungen mit Macht und Menschen” is the first comprehensive exploration of one of Switzerland’s most influential political publicists, whose voice resonates far beyond the country’s borders. Journalist René Lüchinger traces Frank A. Meyer’s journey from his roots in a watchmaking family in Biel to his work as a committed European citizen in Bern and Berlin. For over five decades, Meyer has engaged with politicians, thinkers, entrepreneurs, cultural figures, and influential personalities.
The book tells the life of a man who not only observes politics but also analyzes and occasionally helps shape it. In the 1990s, some referred to Meyer as the “eighth Federal Councillor.” Lüchinger portrays Meyer not as a classic biographical hero, but as someone who consistently challenges the conventions of the establishment. The narrative leads from a working-class apartment in Biel through the halls of the Federal Palace to the political and intellectual salons of Berlin.
A central theme runs through the text: Meyer’s origins as the son of a watchmaker, whose political compass was forged at the workbench. His father’s stories of freedom, responsibility, and solidarity continue to shape his stance to this day.
Lüchinger describes Meyer as a publicistic “solitaire among wordsmiths” – a journalist who understood early on that influence is only gained by developing an independent voice. “No one has ever become a brand by following the crowd,” the book states. Meyer’s profile was not built on proximity to power, but on his insistence on fundamental republican values and his journalistic independence.
The work follows his path from typesetter to political chronicler: from early portraits in the Federal Palace and the talk show “Vis-à-vis” to his columns in SonntagsBlick, which have been a part of Swiss political debate for decades.
René Lüchinger dedicates a separate chapter to Frank A. Meyer’s role as a mediator of political culture – with his “Dîner-Débats” in Bern and his “Dîner Républicain” in Ascona, which has been held for over 50 years. Through his commitment to the “European Prize for Political Culture” of the Hans Ringier Foundation and his passionate defense of democratic institutions, Frank A. Meyer shows that he has never seen journalism as a mere observational discipline, but as a contribution to public enlightenment.
The presentation of the 2023 “European Prize for Political Culture” to the Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who died in captivity, and which was accepted by his wife Yulia Navalnaya and his son Zakhar Navalny in Ascona, acts as a magnifying glass for his republican fervor: “Frank A. Meyer’s lifelong commitment to freedom and against oppression has rarely experienced a more powerful moment,” writes Lüchinger.
The Meyer biography is thus less a linear life story than a political survey: a text about origin and attitude, about intellectual independence, about the tension between proximity and distance to power, and about a man who, for over five decades, has reminded us that democracy remains a daily conversation.
Photo credit: David Biedert
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About the author and publisher
René Lüchinger is a historian, former editor-in-chief of the Swiss news magazine Facts, as well as Bilanz and Blick, and the author of various biographies and non-fiction books. The 341-page work is published by Steidl Verlag.
René Lüchinger: “Frank A. Meyer: Auf ein Wort. Begegnungen mit Macht und Menschen”, Steidl Verlag Göttingen. (ISBN 978-3-96999-504-4).