Alice Rivaz > Becoming Alice Rivaz >

Origins

Alice Rivaz (née Alice Golay) was born in 1901. Growing up alongside her mother’s strong character, and her father, a pure socialist who broke away from the conservative milieu, Alice participated in political, social, and religious discussions from a very young age. Later, as a writer, she chose to portray the daily life of humble people. L’Alphabet du matin, a fictional account of childhood, reflects these moments and confrontations of the early 20th century.

 

Cover page of L'Humanité showing a photograph of Jean Jaurès.
L’Humanité, 1 August 1914. Headlines after Jean Jaurès was assassinated. He was a leading figure for Paul Golay.
Tribune Socialiste Vaudoise
Alice Rivaz, “Mon père et ma mère”, Tribune Socialiste Vaudoise, 3 October 1977. Alice Rivaz pays homage to both her parents in a text published on the centenary of Paul Golay’s birth.
Typed letter by Paul Golay on yellowed paper
Letter from Paul Golay, undated (SLA). Paul Golay writes to his wife Ida and daughter Alice, addressing them as Chers enfants (Dear children). He makes fun of local politics and left-right rivalries, which he calls “exquisite trivia”!
Black and white postcards with the lake Geneva and the sights of Clarens with the Châtelard Castle on top of the hill.
Postcards of Clarens (Musée de Montreux Collection, all rights reserved). Clarens jetty and the Rue du Lac circa 1900, as Alice Rivaz would have known them as a child.
Family photograph in black and white. The family members are all aligned and facing the camera. Paul Golay carries Alice on his left arm.
Paul Golay with his family in L’Orient (a village in the Vallée de Joux), 1903. On the right, Paul Golay with Alice.
Family portrait of Paul, Ida and Alice Golay. All three are stood up, Paul is wearing a suit, Ida a white blouse, and Alice a dark-coloured dress with a white collar.
Paul, Ida and Alice Golay, circa 1910 (SLA)
Paul Golay, Terre de justice, Choix d’articles et de discours (1951). Texts collated by Ida Golay and Alice Rivaz shortly after Paul Golay passed away. Foreword by Alice Rivaz and preface by Edmond Privat
Paul Golay, Terre de justice, Choix d’articles et de discours (1951). Texts collated by Ida Golay and Alice Rivaz shortly after Paul Golay passed away. Foreword by Alice Rivaz and preface by Edmond Privat
Keywords
power of language, politics, childhood, parent figure, Clarens
Becoming a writer

Becoming a writer

Thanks to an independent lifestyle and a home of her own in Geneva, Alice Rivaz published her first novel in 1940.