Background
Born in Zürich, Albin Zollinger was the son of a precision mechanic and grew up in Rüti, Zürich and Argentina, where his parents unsuccessfully tried to establish a secure existence for the family.
Born in Zürich, Albin Zollinger was the son of a precision mechanic and grew up in Rüti, Zürich and Argentina, where his parents unsuccessfully tried to establish a secure existence for the family.
He attended the teacher’s seminar in Küsnacht and eventually, after a series of job changes, got a permanent position in Oerlikon, which he held until his death.
His first novel was published in 1921. His preferred place to write was in the Zürich"s cafés, where he travelled from Oerlikon by tram after school. Three weeks before his death at the age of 46, Zollinger met the young Max Frisch on the Frisch mentioned the meeting in his diary (“Tagebuch 1946-1949“).
Zollinger died in Zürich, and is buried in an honorary grave at the “Nordheim” cemetery in Oerlikon.
A square in Oerlikon was named after him in 1980. Albin Zollinger’s literary legacy is administrated by the Zentralbibliothek Zürich.
