Bachmann was born in Colorado in the United States, and grew up in Zürich, Switzerland. At age 11 he began studying classical music at the Zürich Conservatory, where he studied piano under the tutelage of Carl Rütti.[2] As a teenager, he competed in musical competitions, winning national awards for his compositions and performances.[3][4] He later studied theory and composition at the Zürich University of the Arts, and lived in Berlin, Prague, and Tokyo.[5]
After university, he completed his obligatory military service, undergoing basic training in Bülach, before working as an officer's aid in various locations across Switzerland.[6]
As of 2022, he serves as a board member and co-president of Autillus, the Swiss Association of Children's Authors and Illustrators. He currently teaches creative writing at the Junges Literaturlabor in Zürich.[7]
Together with Jyoti Guptara, he is the co-founder of "Storytelling Schweiz", a national literacy and communication outreach program and competition that launched in 2023.[8] As of 2023, he also serves as a member of the board of the Leopold Bachmann Foundation.[9]
Writing
Bachmann's debut novel, The Peculiar, was bought by HarperCollins in a bidding war when he was eighteen years old.[10] It was followed by a sequel, The Whatnot. Further books include the short story collection The Cabinet of Curiosities: 36 Tales Brief and Sinister, young adult novel A Drop of Night, and children's fantasy Cinders & Sparrows, all published by HarperCollins in the United States.[11]
Reception
His books have received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and many others.[12][13][14] His writing has been noted for its vivid use of language, as well as often dark subject matter.[15][16] In 2012, he was chosen as one of Huffington Post's "18 Under 18" alongside Malala Yousafzai and Tavi Gavinson.[17] In 2017, he was chosen for the Aarhus 39, a selection of the best writers under the age of 40 in Europe, presented at the International Hay Festival in Denmark. His writing has been published in fifteen countries.[18]
The Cabinet of Curiosities: 36 Tales Brief & Sinister (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins, 2014) — in collaboration with Claire Legrand, Katherine Catmull, and Emma Trevayne; illustrated by Alexander Jansson
