This book, written by Robert de Traz, tells the story of an unusual intellectual journey.

A Genevan writer of French origin through his mother, de Traz first trained in commercial studies in Paris before turning to literature, where he established himself as both a novelist and an essayist. His work and intellectual engagement eventually earned him election as a foreign member of the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature of Belgium.

From 1920 to 1929, he directed the Revue de Genève, which he envisioned as a forum for dialogue and reflection in the fragile years following the First World War. At a time when Europe was searching for ways to rebuild trust and cooperation, the review brought together voices from across the continent. It was in this context that de Traz published, in 1929, L’Esprit de Genève. Written in French, the book distilled nearly a decade of reflections developed through the pages of the review.

Carrying the hopes of an earlier generation, and already sensing the limits of a fragile multilateral order, the book soon faded into obscurity. For decades, it remained largely forgotten—surviving only in a handful of scholarly libraries and rare private collections, quietly gathering dust.

Its rediscovery came almost by accident. In 2020, Bruno Roche arrived in Geneva with his family to launch an initiative focused on the Economics of Mutuality. He was hosted by one of Geneva’s historic families in a quiet house in the heart of the Old Town. There, through a coincidence that seemed almost providential, he encountered the expression “Spirit of Geneva.” He also learned that Robert de Traz had once lived at the very same address—perhaps even in the same apartment. It was there that Roche came across a copy of the original 1929 edition.