| Silja (Cécile) Walter, Sister M. Hedwig OSB | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 April 1919 Rickenbach, Switzerland |
| Died | 31 January 2011 (aged 91) Fahr Abbey, Switzerland |
| Occupation | Novelist, poet, nun |
| Genres | Adult literature |
Silja Walter (23 April 1919 – 31 January 2011) was a Swiss author and Benedictine nun in the Fahr Abbey in Switzerland. Born as Cécile Walter in Rickenbach, Solothurn, in Switzerland, at the age of 30 she became a nun: her religious name was Maria Hedwig (OSB). Her brother, Otto F. Walter, was also a popular Swiss author.
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Cécile «Silja» Walter's father Otto was a publisher, writer and member of the Swiss National Council, her mother wrote lyrics for domestic use. Silja was the second oldest of eight daughters, her only brother was the writer Otto F. Walter (1928–1994). Silja Walter studied five years at a teachers' training college and began her studies of literature at the University of Fribourg. Due to a life-threatening lung disease she had to break. In 1944, her first poetry collection "Poems" was published, as relatively popular author, in 1948 she joined the Benedictine convent of Fahr Abbey.
Silja Walter's work of about 60 publications includes poetry and prose, as well as festivals, oratorios and theological texts reflecting her life as nun. Silja Walter has received many awards, among them literary and cultural prices of the city of Zürich, of the Swiss Schiller Foundation in 1956 and 1992 and the art prize of the canton of Solothurn. Her book «Eine Insel finden» ("To find an island", 1984) was a best selling work, based on a radio show that confronted Silja Walter with her brother Otto F. Walter. The Walter siblings had a completely different literary activity: Her brother was a dedicated social critics, Silja Walter wrote lyrics "far away from the world" in a monastery. «Der Wolkenbaum» ("The tree in the clouds", 1992) was even more successful, reflecting Silja Walter's family history. In 2009, her biography was published, «Das dreifarbene Meer» ("The three-colored sea"), written probably on her computer: at the age of 80 she started to use computers, in 2010, she was allowed by the Prioress of the Fahr Abbey to use an Internet access.[1][2]