What I do

What I can do

I take on assignments at home and abroad. As a freelance author, I can organize my time flexibly.

That’s why I work on smaller jobs as well as longer-term projects.

What I do

Journalist

Reportage, portrait, interview, commentary, experimental forms

Researcher

Investigative research (also in Arabic), fact checks

Ghostwriter

Books of all kinds (except fiction)

Trainer

Seminars on journalism, research and Arab countries

Proofreader

Editing of all types of texts (except fiction)

Developer

Content conception of websites

A portrait of a man with short, gray hair and blue eyes. He has a short beard and is wearing a striped shirt under a black garment. The background is light and neutral.
Digital storytelling

Every story needs its own format. I’ve been programming since I was a child, had my own BBS mailbox and coded my first websites in a text editor in 1995.

I combine my flair for storytelling and nerd knowledge to translate content into any digital medium.

Lectures and workshops

I teach the craft of writing. In my workshops, I show you how to find and keep your own voice. And how to get AI to deliver more than just average with just a few words.

Scientific work

I am an external employee of the Bern University of Applied Sciences and research and write academic texts on Arab countries, preferably on economics and cultural differences.

My texts have appeared in (selection):
My texts
published in (selection):

My texts have appeared in the most important magazines and newspapers in the German-speaking world.

Logo of the Süddeutsche Zeitung in black lettering on a white background.
Logo of Der Tagesspiegel, a German newspaper, consisting of the lettering "DER TAGESSPIEGEL" with a stylized globe and the addition "berlin, casa, cognoscere".
Logo of the magazine Stern, consisting of a white, graphic star symbol on a red background and the lettering "stern" in black lettering next to it.
The profil logo on a red background, the lettering in a white, modern font.
P.M. magazine logo with white letters on a red background, with 'P.' and 'M.' larger and in bold.
NZZ am Sonntag logo with the letters NZZ in black, distinctive lettering and the word 'am Sonntag' in blue, elegant lettering below.
Reviews – What others say about my work
REZENSIONEN – What others
say about my work
Someone saw what was about to happen some time later and moved the whole world. You can’t expect more ingenious foresight from a journalist.

Marc Thomas Spahl, Axel Springer Prize (laudatory speech)

The literary travelogue is considered a dying breed. In his book ‘As a Spy on the Nile’, the journalist vividly describes how Egypt’s society has developed in recent years beyond the Nile cruises and luxury hotels on the Red Sea. He convincingly explains why the revolution is bringing the Muslim Brotherhood to power and why the military will not stand by and watch.

Martin Wein, Die Zeit

In a Country Starting Over is an intelligent look at Tunisia (…) Living in Tunisia or traveling to the country is not easy at the moment, as this well-researched book makes clear. However, it offers special experiences, precisely because many things are in a state of upheaval and some things are on the move. However, Drißner is immune to developing an overly romanticized attitude of authenticity.

Stefan Fischer, Süddeutsche Zeitung

Austrian journalist Gerald Drißner tours Tunisia, from his small rented apartment in Tunis to the farthest corners of the country. The encounters with smugglers, farmers and revolutionaries and the conversations in the coffee houses allow the reader to experience everyday life in Tunisia after the revolution.

Wolfgang Ritschl, Radio Ö1