Background
Hohl was born on April 9, 1904, in the small town of Netstal, Switzerland. He was the son of Arnold (a Protestant minister) and Magda Zweifel Hohl.
Hohl was born on April 9, 1904, in the small town of Netstal, Switzerland. He was the son of Arnold (a Protestant minister) and Magda Zweifel Hohl.
Ludwig Hohl went to Gymnasium in Frauenfeld but was expelled due to the alleged bad influence he had on other students.
From 1924 to 1937 Ludwig Hohl lived outside of Switzerland, first in Paris (1924–1930), then in Vienna (1930/31) and The Hague (1931–1937). He then returned to Switzerland and lived first in Biel, then in Geneva, from 1954 to 1974 in a small basement flat which became legendary. His financial situation then improved due to an inheritance, but in his last years, he suffered from several physical illnesses.
Hohl published several of his works himself. His small income came from writing for magazines and newspapers as well as private and public support. In the 1940s and 50s, he took legal action against his publisher who refused to print the second volume of his Notizen (see below) because the first volume had sold less than two hundred copies. Hohl won - which, according to some sources, substantially improved the position of authors versus publishers in Swiss jurisdiction - but the second volume sold equally badly. In the 1970s, he finally achieved some recognition from the literary world.
Hohl died in 1980 from an inflammation of his legs.
Hohl's opinion was that many good things had already been said, and that he would not be able to improve on the way in which the greatest thinkers had said them, but that it was important to re-think them for oneself.
Ludwig spent most of his life in poverty suffering from alcoholism.
Ludwig Hohl married Henriette Adelheid Charlotte von Mayenburg, March 7, 1935. They divorced March 8, 1945. He married Johanna-Katharina Fries, February 18, 1946, divorced January 13, 1948. He married Heidy Antoine, March 18, 1948, divorced October 23, 1951. He married Erna Erika Tschanz, November 21, 1963, divorced November 17, 1970. He married Madeleine-Jeanne de Weiss, September 8, 1980. He had a child Adele.