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.”
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An Englishman wants to know: How Swiss are you?
This content was published on
Jan 2, 2017
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.
Read more: An Englishman wants to know: How Swiss are you?
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
This content was published on
Apr 26, 2016
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
Read more: Diccon Bewes
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