author
Ulrich Bräker
1735–1798
Raised in poverty in rural Switzerland, this self-taught writer turned a hard, ordinary life into one of the most vivid autobiographical voices of the eighteenth century. His work is still remembered for its honesty, humor, and sharp eye for everyday experience.
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About the author
Born on December 22, 1735, in the Toggenburg region of Switzerland, Ulrich Bräker grew up in a poor farming family and had only limited schooling. Even so, he educated himself through reading and became known as a writer and diarist with an unusually direct and personal voice.
Bräker is best known as "The Poor Man of Toggenburg", the title linked to his autobiography published in 1789. He also kept diaries that offer a lively picture of rural life, work, religion, reading, and social change in the late eighteenth century.
Part of what makes his writing lasting is the contrast at its center: he wrote from the margins of society, yet with real curiosity and literary ambition. He died on September 11, 1798, and remains an important Swiss witness to everyday life in his time.