This paper examines the decisive importance which the work of Switzerland's only – albeit now completely forgotten – Nobel Prize winner for Literature had on the development of Swiss prose in the 20th century, and all this without receiving any critical attention whatsoever. The article will also try to give an answer to one of the most frequently asked questions: why such a prestigious award was granted to an author whose name has not managed to travel beyond the borders of Switzerland or the limits of his lifetime.Die vorliegende Arbeit versucht herauszuarbeiten, dass das Werk des einzigen, heute völlig vergessenen Schweizer Literaturnobelpreisträgers eine entscheidende Rolle für die Herausbildung der Schweizer Prosa des 20. Jahrhunderts ...