Urs Allemann was born in the city of Schlieren, near Zurich, (Switzerland) in 1948. From 1986 to 2004 he directed the section of culture and literature of the Swiss journal of Basle (Basler Zeitung). He published three books of narrative and several works of poetry, including: Fuzzhase, Poems (1988), Holder die Polder (2001), Schoen, Schoen! (2003), and Im Kinde Schwirren Die Ahnen (2008). He currently lives in Bettingen in Basle. He is also the author of Babyfucker (Les Figues Press).

In 2012, Allemann was awarded the Heimrad Bäcker prize, awarded annually for experimental literature written in German. The jury’s announcement states:

In Urs Allemann’s poetry, something universal becomes clear: the fact that construction and destruction are two sides of the same coin, just like tradition and innovation. […] Allemann’s poetry is dialectical, and it allows us to be cognizant participants in what we can call, without any hyperbole, history.

Additional Links:

Elizabeth Hall interviews Urs Allemann, on Tarpaulin Sky

Urs Allemann’s Facebook page