French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. von Haller, First Journey to the Alps and Other Texts (1728-1732)
History, Politics and Society

Albrecht von Haller

FIRST JOURNEY TO THE ALPS AND OTHER TEXTS 1728-1732

Edited, annotated, and introduced by Aurélie Luther under the supervision of Claire Jaquier. With the collaboration of Laure Chappuis Sandoz and Luc Lienhard

GENEVA-PARIS, SLATKINE, coll. "TRAVAUX SUR LA SUISSE DES LUMIÈRES TEXTES SUISSES DU XVIIIE SIÈCLE" no. 2, 01.07.08, 160 p.
ISBN (EAN13): 9782051020602

35€

Publisher's description:

Albrecht von Haller (1708-1777) achieved literary fame in his day with the publication of *The Alps*. This poem is inseparable from the accounts of his travels in Switzerland and the Alps, written in French or Latin. Four accounts, previously unpublished or difficult to access, are gathered here: they reveal the alpine world through the inquisitive gaze of a traveler and scholar passionate about natural history. *First Journey to the Alps, 1728* recounts a month-long journey across Switzerland, marking Haller's initial encounter with the reality of the Alps; it provided the material for the poem *The Alps*, composed the following winter. "On the thirtieth of June 1731 I set out…" focuses on a brief trip during which Haller dedicated himself to botany, as demonstrated more technically by the text of *Iter Alpinum*, which stems from the same journey. In the final text, *Third Account of a Journey Made to the Alps in the Month of July 1732*, botanical interests give way to general considerations on the climate, the environment, and the inhabitants of the region. The geographical scope of these journeys remains largely the same—the Jura, the Plateau, the Prealps, and the Alps—yet the twists and turns of the road, the viewpoints on the landscape, and the perspective on the regions traversed vary, giving each text its own unique character.

Albrecht von Haller achieved literary fame in his day, notably through his poem The Alps. The texts gathered in this volume reflect the early-eighteenth-century shift in sensibility toward mountainous landscapes. Scholars of the Enlightenment have long recognized the importance of travel writing in shaping European perceptions of geography, botany, and regional environments during this transformative intellectual period.

Readers interested in eighteenth-century Swiss literature, early scientific travel writing, and the literary representation of the Alps may find this scholarly edition relevant. The volume presents four accounts by Albrecht von Haller, edited, annotated, and introduced by Aurélie Luther under the supervision of Claire Jaquier, which document his journeys across Switzerland and the alpine region between 1728 and 1732. These writings reveal the alpine world through the inquisitive gaze of a traveler and scholar passionate about natural history, touching upon botany, climate, and the inhabitants of the region.