Jean-Michel Wissmer. Heidi, enquête sur un mythe suisse qui a conquis le monde. Editions Métropolis, Genève, 2013

S’il y a une personne qui mérite le titre d’ambassadrice de Suisse dans le monde, c’est bien Heidi !

En relisant le best-seller de Johanna Spyri, Jean-Michel Wissmer a découvert que l’univers idyllique de la petite fille des montagnes était bien plus complexe qu’il n’y paraît et que, plus qu’un simple livre pour enfants, il était une fenêtre ouverte sur la Suisse du XIXe siècle.

L’auteur de cet essai sur Heidi nous invite ainsi à dépoussiérer ce « mythe suisse » et à mieux connaître sa créatrice, une femme secrète et réservée, très éloignée des clichés qui entourent son héroïne.

About the author

Nadia Sikorsky

Nadia Sikorsky grew up in Moscow where she obtained a master's degree in journalism and a doctorate in history from Moscow State University. After 13 years at UNESCO, in Paris and then in Geneva, and having served as director of communications at Green Cross International founded by Mikhail Gorbachev, she developed NashaGazeta.ch, the first online Russian-language daily newspaper, launched in 2007.

In 2022, she found herself among those who, according to Le Temps editorial board, "significantly contributed to the success of French-speaking Switzerland," thus appearing among opinion makers and economic, political, scientific and cultural leaders: the Forum of 100.

After 18 years leading NashaGazeta.ch, Nadia Sikorsky decided to return to her roots and focus on what truly fascinates her: culture in all its diversity. This decision took the form of this trilingual cultural blog (Russian, English, French) born in the heart of Europe – in Switzerland, her adopted country, the country distinguished by its multiculturalism and multilingualism.

Nadia Sikorsky does not present herself as a "Russian voice," but as the voice of a European of Russian origin (more than 35 years in Europe, 25 years spent in Switzerland) with the benefit of more than 30 years of professional experience in the cultural world at the international level. She positions herself as a cultural mediator between Russian and European traditions; the title of the blog, "The Russian Accent," captures this essence – the accent being not a linguistic barrier, not a political position but a distinctive cultural imprint in the European context.

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