Charles Lewinsky

Charles Lewinsky is a Swiss screenwriter and playwright, as well as a writer of novels and non-fiction, born and living in Zürich. He is known for his TV script Fascht e Familie.

Early life and education Born and raised in Zürich, Canton of Zürich in Switzerland, Charles Lewinsky studied German and theater science in Berlin and Zurich, and worked as an assistant director of Fritz Kortner. In 1965 Charles Lewinsky married Ruth Lewinsky née Halpern, a Swiss writer who also was born in Zürich. In 1965/67 he was assistant director and dramaturg at the Stadttheater Luzern, in 1967/70 dramaturge and personal assistant to the director at the Stadttheater Ingolstadt, in 1970/71 dramaturge at the Freie Volksbühne Berlin, and in 1972/75 dramaturg and director at the Staatstheater Kassel.

For SRF Charles Lewinsky wrote the successful Swiss German language sitcom Fascht e Familie that premiered between 1994 and 1999 on the Swiss national television channel SRF 1, starring among others Trudi Roth, Walter Andreas Müller, Martin Schenkel, Hanna Scheuring, Andreas Matti and Sandra Moser. First aired on 4 November 1994, Fascht e Familie is still very popular in the Swiss German culture, and from time to time re-broadcast in the Swiss German television. In 1997 the RTL-Group in Germany asked for an adoption for the German television, and so the dialogues were synchronized in the Swiss Standard German language, but the Swiss German oriented humour did not fit the audience's gusto in Germany, and even in Austria, and so just 40 episodes have been broadcast between January and October 1997 as Fast ’ne Familie on Super RTL.

For the stage Lewinsky dramatized among others Erich Kästner's Three Men in the Snow that premiered end of September 1983 in his Swiss German adaption, Inigo Gallo and Dieter Ballmann, directed by Gallo. Lewinsky wrote cabaret revues (together with Hans Gmür) and further comedies for theater stages in Switzerland and Germany. Moreover, Lewinsky wrote since 1989 more than thirty plays, including "Guillotin" whose stage version premiered under the title "Der gute Doktor Guillotin" at Theater am Neumarkt in Zürich on 15 April 1992. Among others, he also wrote adaptions of plays for the Bernhard-Theater Zürich.

Other writing In 1984, Lewinsky and Doris Morf published the political fiction Hitler auf dem Rütli, which was followed by many more books, mostly novels and crime fiction. Kastelau, Lewinsky's 2014 novel, is the story of the survivors of an exalted Nazi UFA film crew that survives in Bavaria in southern Germany the last months of World War II.

On the 75th anniversary of the library of the Israelitische Cultusgemeinde Zürich (ICZ), the anniversary edition Quelle lebender Bücher (literally: "source of living books") was published, edited by the ICZ-librarians Yvonne Domhardt and Kerstin Paul, in which 75 people present their favorite book from the library. Lewinsky was inspired by a 1938 edition of the Israelisches Wochenblatt newspaper about a variety artists searching his suitcase and tailcoat; the nameless man became the protagonist Felix Grün in Lewinsky's family saga Melnitz.

On 14 April 2016 Lewinsky presented his new novel on his 70th birthday at the Theater Rigiblick in Zürich. Andersen focuses, among others, on the question "what would happen if reincarnation would be associated with the memory of the past life?". How would that the protagonist's – once a bad man - life be affected? About this book, Lewinsky said in an interview: "But I write not a scientific or philosophical book, I tell a story".

Awards

2014: Nominated, German Book Prize, for Kastelau 2011: Shortlisted, Swiss Book Prize, for Gerron 2002: Award by the Swiss magazine Tele for his work as author of sitcoms 1995: Prix Walo '94 for his work since 1974 1995: Sparten-PRIX WALO for Radio/TV/Filmproduktion (Fascht e Familie) 1983: Chaplin Award of the city of Montreux

Works

Selected publications Andersen: Roman. Nagel & Kimche Verlag, München 2016. . Kastelau. Nagel & Kimche im Carl Hanser Verlag, München 2014. . Falscher Mao, echter Goethe. 48 Glossen über Bücher und Büchermacher. NZZ Libro, Zürich 2012. Gerron. Nagel & Kimche, Zürich 2011. Mattscheibe. Talkshow. Haffmans bei Zweitausendeins, Frankfurt am Main 2008. Einmal Erde und zurück. Der Besuch des alten Kindes. Atlantis, Zürich 2007; dtv, München 2009. Melnitz. Nagel & Kimche, Zürich 2006. In English, translated by Shaun Whiteside: Melnitz. Atlantic Books, London 2015. Ein ganz gewöhnlicher Jude. Rotbuch, Hamburg 2005; Rotbuch, Berlin 2007. Johannistag. Haffmans, Zürich 2000; dtv, München 2009. Der A-Quotient. Theorie und Praxis des Lebens mit Arschlöchern. Haffmans, Zürich 1994; Haffmans bei Zweitausendeins, Frankfurt am Main 2011.

Selected plays 2011: Gotthelf – Das Musical 2010: Ein Heimspiel 2009: Ein ganz gewöhnlicher Jude 2009: Tie Break 2006: Heimat, Sweet Heimat 2004: Abdankung (with Patrick Frey) 2003: Fremdi Fötzel 2002: Deep (musical, music by Markus Schönholzer) 2002: Welt im Spiegel (texts by Robert Gernhardt) 2001: Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert 2000: Ganz e feini Familie 1992: Der gute Doktor Guillotin 1985: Potztuusig! Zweituusig! Cabaret-Revue with Hans Gmür 1984: Drei Männer im Schnee (by Erich Kästner) 1983: Plausch in Züri

Selected filmography 2005: 2005: Das geheime Leben meiner Freundin (Television film) 1995–2002: Das Traumschiff (Television series, 5 episodes) 2002: Die fabelhaften Schwestern (Television film) 2000: Fertig lustig (Television series) 1994–1998: Fascht e Familie (Television series, 100 episodes) 1992: Verflixte Leidenschaft (Television film) 1985: Der Mann am Klavier (Television film)