Annemarie Schwarzenbach's early story of a lesbian encounter republished

A newly republished short story by the celebrated Swiss writer Annemarie Schwarzenbach offers a glimpse into her early work and themes of desire. "Voir une femme" (Seeing a Woman), written when Schwarzenbach was just 21, is being released by Editions Metropolis, translated into French by Etienne Barilier.

The story begins with a fleeting, intense encounter in an elevator of a Grisons hotel during a ski vacation between the two world wars. The narrator locks eyes with another woman, described as having dark hair and a face with "rough, clear, and masculine features," while wearing a white coat.

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Seeing a woman: only a second, in the sole and brief space of a glance, to then lose her again, somewhere in the darkness of a corridor, behind a door I am not allowed to open.

This brief moment of recognition sparks immediate fascination and longing. "Seeing a woman: only a second, in the sole and brief space of a glance, to then lose her again, somewhere in the darkness of a corridor, behind a door I am not allowed to open," the narrator reflects, capturing the profound impact of this instant connection and the subsequent yearning.

The narrative captures a powerful sense of unspoken attraction and the bittersweet pain of a missed opportunity, set against the backdrop of a luxurious mountain resort. The republication highlights Schwarzenbach's precocious talent for exploring complex emotions and relationships.

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rough, clear, and masculine features