Biography 1976–1991

1976 Report on his trip: “Nein, Mao habe ich nicht gesehen”. Max Frisch’s “Gesammelte Werke in zeitlicher Folge” are published to mark his 65th birthday. Awarded the Friedenspreis des deutschen Buchhandels. Acceptance speech: “Wir hoffen”. Speech to the Party Congress of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland: “Haben wir eine demokratische Öffentlichkeit?”.	© Max Frisch-Archiv, Zürich   © Max Frisch-Archiv, Zürich
1977 Speech to the Party Congress of the German Social Democrats in Hamburg: “Die Zukunft gehört der Angst”.
1978 3. März: Unter der Leitung von Heiner Gautschy diskutieren Max Frisch und Bundesrat Kurt Furgler über das Verhältnis von Künstler und Staat. [[Übersetzung fehlt]]
1979 “Triptychon. Drei szenische Bilder” (Triptych). 15 April: first broadcast of the radio version on West German national radio. 9 October: first performance of a French translation at the Théâtre de Vidy Lausanne (directed by Michel Soutter); print of a revised version 1980; first performance in German on 1 February 1981 in Vienna (directed by Erwin Axer). “Der Mensch erscheint im Holozän” (Man in the Holocene). Voted best short story of the year in 1980 in the USA. Refused an honorary award from the Literaturkredit organisation of the canton of Zurich. Divorced from Marianne Frisch-Oellers. Set up the Max Frisch Foundation. Lecture: “Die politische Repression”.
1980 Honorary doctorate from Bard College (New York State). Lived in New York and Berzona. Met Alice Locke-Carey again, who lived with Max Frisch until Spring 1983.
1981 Commemorative publication “Begegnungen” published by Suhrkamp to mark his 70th birthday. The Max Frisch Archive was established at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. Richard Dindo made the film “Max Frisch, Journal I–III. Eine filmische Lektüre der Erzählung Montauk”. November: two lectures at New York City College.
1982 “Blaubart. Eine Erzählung” (Bluebeard) (filmed in 1984 by Krysztof Zanussi, screenplay by Frisch and Zanussi). Travelled to Egypt with his friend Peter Noll, who was suffering from cancer; lengthy conversations about suicide, assisted suicide, dying with dignity. 18 October: memorial speech for Peter Noll in Zurich’s Grossmünster church. Honorary doctorate from the City University of New York.
1983 “Forderungen des Tages”. Portraits, sketches and speeches, 1943-1982. Moved to the Stadelhofer Passage (Stadelhoferstrasse 28), his last address in Zurich.
1984 Named “Commandeur dans l’ordre des arts et des lettres” in France. Speech to young doctors.
1986 75th birthday. The “Gesammelte Werke” were republished, with the addition of a seventh volume, as an anniversary edition. Frisch gave a speech at the Solothurner Literaturtage: “Am Ende der Aufklärung steht das Goldene Kalb”. Awarded the Neustadt Literature Prize by the University of Oklahoma (prize money donated to build a school in Nicaragua). “Gespräche im Alter”: several hours of televised conversation with Philippe Pilliod, broadcast by WDR.
1987 February: travelled to Moscow, invited to the “Forum for a nuclear weapon free world and the survival of the human race”. June: honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Berlin. Vote after his platform speech in Boswil: “Demokratie – ein Traum”.
1989 In the context of the national referendum on the abolition of the Swiss Army, Frisch wrote his piece in dialogue form, “Schweiz ohne Armee? Ein Palaver”. First performances of the stage version of “Jonas und sein Veteran” in Zurich (Schauspielhaus, 19 October, directed by Benno Besson) and Lausanne (Théâtre de Vidy, 24 October). Speech at the Basel Theatre: “Der Friede widerspricht unserer Gesellschaft”. Awarded the Heinrich Heine Prize by the city of Düsseldorf.
1990 “Schweiz als Heimat? Versuche über 50 Jahre”. In March, Frisch was diagnosed with cancer. The Fichen-Affäre in Switzerland: Max Frisch, like numerous other Swiss citizens, had been spied on by the authorities for forty years.
1991 4 April: Max Frisch died at his home in Zurich. 9 April: memorial service at St. Peter’s church. At his request, there were speeches by his partner in his final years, Karin Pilliod-Hatzky, as well as Michel Seigner and Peter Bichsel.