Counterlife

This biography is unusual in that it represents both a life story and a literary genre. Margarethe Hardegger's life does not follow the typical path of a petty-bourgeois woman in the first half of the 20th century, nor does the book adhere to a conventional biographical structure. The representation and life story are closely intertwined.

Margarethe Hardegger was an extraordinary woman who lived socialism in the present. She preached and practiced free love, frequented the Munich bohemian scene, and was involved in the Berlin anarchist scene. She advocated for contraception and assisted with abortions, actively fought against fascism, and worked for peace. For many decades, she lived in Ticino, in the shadow of Monte Verità, and was internationally connected. She supported her friends and was imprisoned for her beliefs. Additionally, she was a wife and mother, the first workers' secretary of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions, and had relationships with anarchist writers Gustav Landauer and Erich Mühsam, as well as friendships with workers' doctor Fritz Brupbacher and pacifist chemist Gertrud Woker.

She embodied the social and political ideals of what is now referred to as the left. She was uncompromising, idealistic, and at times depressed. Above all, she was a woman who united ideas and people who initially seemed incompatible, a tireless activist dedicated to improving society and creating a new human being.

Margarethe Hardegger's biography combines socialist, life-reformist, and peace-political perspectives. The focus is on her life story and the history of the organizations in which she was active. The author has chosen to approach Margarethe Hardegger's biography from multiple angles, offering a variety of narratives rather than concentrating on a single account.