Swiss author Friedrich Durrenmatt (1921-1990) created darkly comic works exposing modern society's absurdities. Born to a Protestant pastor, he combined existential philosophy with detective fiction elements in masterpieces like "The Visit" and "The Physicists." His writing fearlessly explored moral corruption and collective guilt during the Cold War era. Despite struggling with depression, Durrenmatt maintained a mordant wit that made his apocalyptic visions both terrifying and wickedly entertaining, inspiring artists to use dark humor as a vehicle for profound social critique.