Based in Zurich, Diogenes is one of Europe’s largest independent literary publishers, home to international bestselling authors such as Doris Dörrie, Daniela Krien, Donna Leon, Ingrid Noll, Paulo Coelho, John Irving, Bernhard Schlink, Patrick Süskind, Martin Suter, Martin Walker and Benedict Wells. Our roster also includes a large collection of classics, art and cartoon titles and children’s books.
During our 70 year history we have published more than 8'000 titles by over 800 writers and artists with a great many successes outside the German-speaking world as well.
Diogenes takes care of theatre and film licences as well as world rights for many German-speaking and international authors (including Patricia Highsmith, Donna Leon, Petros Markaris, Tomi Ungerer, Leon de Winter).

Daniel Keel founded Diogenes in 1952 and had a decisive editorial influence up to his death in autumn 2011. His school friend Rudolf C. Bettschart became a partner in the business just two years after the publishing house was founded. As co-owner, he was in charge of the overall commercial management until March 2015. Philipp Keel followed in his father’s footsteps in April 2012. He and the management board members Ursula Bergenthal (Publishing & Editorial), Katharina Erne (Finances & Controlling), Ruth Geiger (Press & PR) and Steffen Müller (Marketing, Sales & Digital Transformation) run the company on a day-to-day basis.

Over the past 10 years Philipp Keel has signed almost a hundred new writers such as Daniela Krien, Simone Lappert and Sasha Filipenko. Diogenes’ philosophy is to publish not just individual books but an author’s entire body of work. Our major international successes include Patrick Süskind’s Perfume and Bernhard Schlink’s The Reader. In recent history one of our greatest achievements is Daniela Krien’s Love in Case of Emergency (2019).