Pascal Mercier

Pascal Mercier (1944–2023), born Peter Bieri, was born in Bern and was a philosopher and professor at the Free University of Berlin. Under the pseudonym Pascal Mercier, he published the novels *Perlmann’s Silence* (1995), *The Piano Tuner* (1998), *Night Train to Lisbon* (2004), and *The Weight of Words* (2020), as well as the novella *Lea* (2007). Under his real name, Peter Bieri, he published philosophical works including *The Handwork of Freedom* (2001) and *A Way of Living* (2013). His literary work received several honors, including the Marie Luise Kaschnitz Prize in 2006 and the Premio Grinzane Cavour in 2007.