An interview with Swiss author Thomas Meyer. Written by Melanie Gath.
"Loving, present, and fair," is how Thomas Meyer answers the first question asking him to describe himself as a father. The "From one dad to another" conversation between Franz and the renowned Swiss author has a certain depth, and I was personally very moved by it on many levels.
I might even catch myself listening to his answers with something close to fangirl enthusiasm. A lot of things resonate with me. He speaks from the perspective of a parent who is separated. He loves to write, has a passion for words, and – on a purely superficial level – his body is also adorned with tattoos. These are similarities that, as a listener, really connect with me. But even aside from that, as you follow the conversation, you can just feel the joy he has in talking about these topics – about parenthood, values, worries, and realizations, as well as the questions that are still open.
"He has been a father and a writer since 2012," is how it's phrased on his website. He had written before, of course, but that was the year he published his debut novel, “Wolkenbruchs wunderliche Reise in die Arme einer Schickse” (Wolkenbruch's Wondrous Journey into the Arms of a Shiksa). As the son of a Jewish mother himself, he wrote this novel about a young Jewish man who falls in love with the "most wrong of all women." That's how the successful book is described. It was adapted into a film and became the first Swiss film on Netflix.
So I imagine this professional success alone would have made 2012 a special year for Thomas Meyer. And on top of that, it was also the year he became a father. It's a fatherhood that has taught him a lot, as he reveals in the interview with Franz: "Through fatherhood and through this child, I realized that they have needs and desires, too. And that those are just as important as mine."
Just as in the other "From Father to Father" interviews , Franz also wants to know from Thomas what nature means to his family. How important is it to him and to them as parents that their son spends a lot of time in nature? "No more than it is for me, and that could be a lot more," he replied. He says he's a city person who sees more asphalt than green fields.
Still, he knows just how good spending time outdoors is for us. That becomes clear as the conversation unfolds. Thomas tells Franz that there's one question in this context that's been on his mind a lot: why do so many people in Switzerland live surrounded by nature, yet regularly vote down any measures that could help it? How we as humans treat our home – nature – is something that weighs heavily on Thomas Meyer's mind. You can watch the full interview here:
