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Born in Zurich – a life story
“Born in
Zurich – Ursula Biondi” is the life story of a woman who
grew up in Zurich as an Italian of the fourth
generation.
After a
happy childhood Ursula’s life completely gets into
disorder little by little, on the one hand because of
her first love and the other hand because of the process
of naturalization. She runs away from home and flees to
a friend in Italy. There she is picked up and sent back
to Switzerland. Without really having committed a
violation of the law, she is admitted to the women’s
prison Hindelbank, there, at the age of 17 ½ she gives
birth to her son. When she is released from prison, she
picks up her life with great resolution and sweeping
success. – The dramatic events occurred in the late 60s
of the pas century.
Ursula
Biondi tells her experiences in an engaged and vivid
manner so that the reader is extremely moved. One is
convinced that her life would have taken another turn,
if she had a Swiss name instead of the Italian Biondi,
e. g. that of her old-established Swiss ancestors on her
mother’s side Halser or those on her father’s side
Widmer or Keller.
She
interprets her book as a report on the “zeitgeist” of
that time: The reader gains an insight into the process
of naturalisation that was applied with full force.
Furthermore, the author describes the disastrous
consequences that laws and regulations like prohibition
of concubinage and marriage, which are repealed
nowadays, had on her life. |
