INTERVIEW WITH SCREENPLAY WRITER AND AUTHOR MARTIN SUTER

Martin Suter, your novels appeal to a very large public and your columns are often stories that are structured like movies. What incited you to write a screenplay on growing older - was it your own experience or is the screenplay based on observations you made? What served as your source of inspiration? 
At the latest when you’re my age, you cannot avoid dealing with growing older. My late friend, Daniel Schmid, and I often discussed this topic and practically always, we were amused by our own symptoms and by those of our friends and acquaintances. I had some time to spare between two novels and Daniel’s extensive project, „Portovero“, had lost momentum and stalled. I asked him whether he would like to film a comedy on this never-ending theme - and he did. This led to the first and second versions of the screenplay, „Giulias Verschwinden“ („Julia’s Disappearance“).

Would you please describe the writing process and how you created the plot and the characters?
Plots and characters are always based on my imagination and are created at the writing desk. They are not something that you can work out in teamwork. When writing a screenplay, I usually draft an exposé which I then discuss with the director and the producer. Then I determine the order of the scenes, discuss it once more with the director and the producer and then write a first draft of script and dialogues - which I then again discuss with the director and the producer. Things were somewhat different in the case of „Giulias Verschwinden“, though. I was never commissioned to write the screenplay. Because the film depends so strongly on the dialogues, I did not define a sequence of scenes but went straight to writing the dialogues as soon as I had finished the exposé. Thanks to my cooperation of many years with T&C, it was only logical to show this version to Marcel Hoehn. He liked it and from then on, I was able to count on his valuable contributions with regard to all of the further versions. 

What’s the difference between developing dialogues for a screenplay and dialogues for a novel - do you proceed differently?
Once again, „Giulias Verschwinden“ proved to be somewhat different than other projects. Many dialogues are actually based on statements that were made in discussions with my wife, with Daniel Schmid, or with other friends. At the end of the day, growing older is always autobiographical - and that is information I always refrain from using in my novels.

What’s your next project? What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on a novel about an ingenious Tamil cook who comes to Switzerland seeking for asylum and is forced to work as a kitchen hand. The book will be published at the beginning of next year.



Martin Suter (SCREENPLAY)

Martin Suter is one of the most successful Swiss authors in the German-language area (amongst others: Der letzte Weynfeldt (“The Last Weynfeldt”), Lila Lila, Der perfekte Freund (“A Perfect Friend”), Die Dunkle Seite des Mondes (“The Dark Side of the Moon”), Small World) as well as a frequent screenplay writer for Daniel Schmid.

Martin Suter, born in Zurich in 1948, is an author and columnist (he wrote the weekly column ›Business Class‹ for the Swiss magazine ›Weltwoche‹ and for the ›Magazin‹ of the newspaper ›Tages-Anzeigers‹ as well as writing the “Geri Weibel”stories published in the ›NZZ-Folio‹ magazine (both have been published as books by Diogenes) as well as a screenplay writer. 

Up until 1991 and prior to concentrating on the writing of his books alone, he also earned his livelihood as a copywriter and Creative Director. His novels - the last to be published was ›Der letzte Weynfeldt‹ – are also great international successes. Martin Suter lives in Spain and Guatemala with his wife and their two children.


NOVELS AND AUDIO BOOKS (EXCERPT)

2009 Das Bonus-Geheimnis
2008 Der Letzte Weynfeldt
2007 Unter Freunden
2006 Der Teufel von Mailand
2004 Lila, Lila
2002 Ein perfekter Freund
2001 Richtig leben mit Geri Weibel
2000 Die dunkle Seite des Mondes 
1997 Small World
1994 Business-Class


SCREENPLAYS / FILM ADAPTATIONS (EXCERPT)

2009 Giulias Verschwinden filmed by Christoph Schaub, Production T&C FILM
2009 Lila, Lila filmed by Alain Gsponer, based on the book "Lila, Lila"
1999 Beresina or The last days of Switzerland by Daniel Schmid, Production T&C FILM
1992 Zwischensaison (Off Season) filmed by Daniel Schmid, Production T&C FILM
1986 Jenatsch filmed by Daniel Schmid