About the edition
Karl Viktor von Bonstetten (1745-1832), a member of one of Berne's leading families, politician, philosopher and writer, was a key figure during the turbulent period of transition from the Ancien Régime to Modernity, from Enlightenment to Romanticism. Because of his personal attractiveness, his multilingual culture of conversation and letter-writing, his wide-open spiritual horizon and his intellectual and political liberalism, he established during his long life friendships with people of all social classes in Europe and Overseas. Thanks to these many-faceted connections, the historical edition of the Bonstettiana establishes a complex web of correspondence. Mostly based on autographs, this edition, planned in 14 volumes, will not only publish all letters written and received by Bonstetten, but also letters exchanged among his foremost correspondents. Covering eight decades, the interconnection of letters and diary entries forms an historical hologram, which presents much material previously unknown for historical research and unfolds a comédie hu maine. The texts are presented in chronological order, divided into chapters, and made accessible by means of informative forewords, timetables, overviews, registers and extensive annotations. Closely connected to Bonstetten's stimulating friendships and his letters is the creation of his published and unpublished works. His writings are presented in a similar edition parallel to his letters.