Flurina Badel is a multilingual writer, visual artist and performer.
One of the best-known contemporary Romansh writers, she initially trained as a journalist before completing her Master of Fine Arts at the Institute Art Gender Nature of the HGK FHNW in Basel and studying at the Institute for Language Arts at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna.
Since 2014, she has worked as a visual artist in collaboration with Jérémie Sarbach. As part of the Badel/Sarbach duo, she won the Manor Art Prize in 2019.
In 2019 she published her first volume of poetry «tinnitus tropic» (editionmevinapuorger, Zurich), which won the Swiss Literature Award in 2020, and has been widely translated. In 2024 she published her first novel «Tschiera», which won the Literature Award of the Canton of the Grisons 2025. Her other awards include the OpenNet Prize of the Solothurn Literature Festival (2018), and the Premi Term Bel (2022). She was awarded a literary fellowship as at the Fondation Jan Michalski (2023), at Alice Boner Foundation in Varanasi (2024) and at Wintertuin in Nijmegen (2024).
Flurina Badel performed her writings at several festivals as for example at the Festival Textures, Dis da Litteratura Rumantscha, Serendipity Festival Goa, Lettere alla Valposchiavo, Wintertuin Festival etc. She often creates and performs in collaboration with both musicians and other artists with musician Fred Frith for the Opera «Truth is A Four Letter Word» commissioned by Sons d’hiver Festival, Paris, 2023; with Frisian rapper Alexander Moto for Explore the North Festival, Leeuwarden, 2024; or with the Calabrun Trio for the Performance «be calm» (2023-25); and she is the co-author of the play «Monokali Polypunk» commissioned and realized by Theater Chur, 2025.
Flurina Badel is committed to the promotion of multilingual literature beyond her own writing. Since 2016 she has directed the Romansh literature program «Impuls» at Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha. In addition, she moderates and curates events such as the biennial festival LitteraturA Nairs, and initiated the establishment of an institute for Romansh literature. She has designed the very first modular degree course «Lavuratori da scriver litterar» for aspiring Romansh authors on behalf of Lia Rumantscha and Pro Helvetia. She is a mentor for multilingual writing at Double 2025 by Migros Kulturprozent, and was a mentor at Bolo Klub 24/25. As a lecturer for creative and experimental writing, she has led several workshops and seminars such as «Multilingualism and linguistic autobiography in poetry» at the Banaras Hindu University or the masterclass «Multilingualism as tool for literary writing» for the ArtEZ University of the Arts Arnheim.
As an activist in Switzerland, she has been a strong political advocate on the local and national level for the livability of small villages. Currently, she is establishing the Fundaziun Dachasa, a foundation for affordable housing on behalf of the organization Anna Florin.
Bibliography (selection):
«Olor de saüc» poesia, Catalan: Dolors Udina i Antoni Clapés, Cafè Central, Barcelona, 2025
«Tschiera» roman, Chasa Editura Rumantscha, Cuira, 2024
«tinnitus tropic | tropischer tinnitus» poesia, tradüt cun Ruth Gantert, Edition Howeg, Turich, 2022
«üert fomantà» poesia, traducziuns: Denise Mützenberg, Édition Les Troglodytes, 2021
«tinnitus tropic» poesia, editionmevinapuorger, 2019
Texts in anthologies:
«Amur. Poesias 1648 – 2025» antologia, Chasa Editura Rumantscha, Cuira, 2025
«Alpine Poesie der Gegenwart» antologia, Edition Raetia, Bozen, 2023
«Aruè» antologia, traducziun: Denise Mützenberg, Editions d’en bas, Lausanne, 2022
«El tiempo en que vivimos» antologia, traducziun: Jessica Zuan, Editores Naranjo, Columbia, 2022
«La bocca d’luf es s-chüra» antologia, Chasa Editura Rumantscha, Cuira, 2019
«Aruè. Poésie romanche» antologia, traducziun: Denise Mützenberg, Editions Samizdat, 2015
«S14 SvizzeraSchweizSuisseSvizra» prosa, Gabriele Capelli Editore, 2014
«Moderne Poesie in der Schweiz» antologia, cun autotraducziuns, Limmat-Verlag, Zürich, 2013
«Neue Texte aus der Schweiz» antologia, cun autotraducziuns, Solothurner Literaturtage, 2008
«Amurellas» antologia, Chasa Paterna 125, Uniun dals Grischs, 2006
Further texts have been published in magazines and anthologies such as the yearbooks «Litteratura» of the Uniun per Litteratura Rumantscha or in the yearbook «Viceversa – Wildwege» (2022), in the multilingual art magazine «Revue l’Ouroboros» (No. 5 and 6, Lyon, 22/23), in the journal for literature «Ostragehege» (No. 97, Germany, 2021) or for the project «10’000 words» (Diaphanes, Berlin, 2019) and since 2006 short prose by Flurina Badel can be heard in the RTR program «Impuls». In 2025 the audiobook of the novel «Tschiera» read by Flurina Badel is published.
©Juliette Chrétien