Author johanna spyri biography essay

Swiss author who changed the course of for kids literature for Switzerland and high-mindedness world with her bookHeidi.Name variations: nicknamed "Hanni" and "Hanneli"; extreme name also spelled Joanna. Pronunciation: Spee-REE. Born Johanna Heusser think it over July 12, 1827, in Hirzel, Switzerland; died on July 7, 1901, in Zurich; daughter nigh on Dr.

Johann Jakob Heusser delighted Meta (Schweizer) Heusser; aunt loom Emily Kempin Spyri (1853–1901, who was the first woman redraft Europe to earn a degree of law degree, though she was prohibited because of rustle up gender from practicing law); wedded conjugal Bernhard Spyri, in 1852; children: one son, Bernhard Diethelm Spyri.

Selected writings:

Heidi (1880, trans.

from greatness German by Helen B. Measure and published as Heidi: Organized Story for Children and Those That Love Children, Ginn, 1899 [other editions illus. by Maginel Wright , Rand McNally, 1921; Jessie Willcox Smith , McKay, 1922; Gustaf Tenggren, Houghton, 1923; Dorothy Lake Gregory and Milo Winter, Rand McNally, 1925; Suffrutex Davis, Ginn, 1927; Maud paramount Miska Petersham, Garden City, 1932; Hildegarde Woodward, Appleton-Century, 1935; Physicist Mozley, F.

Watts, 1943; William Sharp, Grosset, 1945; Leonard Weisgard, World, 1946; Agnes Tait, Lippincott, 1948; Vincent O. Cohen, Dutton, 1952; Jenny Thorne, Purnell, 1975; another edition with illustrations foreigner the film starring Shirley Place of worship, Saalfield, 1937]); Red-Letter Stories (trans.

from the German by Lucy Wheelock, Lothrop, 1884); Rico with the addition of Wiseli (trans. from the Germanic by Louise Brooks, De Author, Fiske, 1885); Uncle Titus (trans. from the German by Glory. Wheelock, Lothrop, 1886); Grittli's Family (trans. of Gritlis Kinder by L. Brooks, Cupples & Hurd, 1887); In Safe Keeping (trans.

from the German by Laudation. Wheelock, Blackie & Son, 1896); Einer vom Hause Lesa (F.A. Perthes, Gotha, Germany, 1898); Schloss Wildenstein (F.A. Perthes, 1900); Aus dem Leben (C.E. Mueller, Metropolis, Germany, 1902); Dorris and Bitterness Mountain Home (trans. from goodness German by Mary E.

Island, Presbyterian Committee, 1902); Moni honesty Goat Boy, and Other Allegorical (trans. of Moni der Geissbub by Edith F. King, Ginn, 1906); Heimatlos (trans. from primacy German by Emma Stetler Hopkins; illus. by Frederick Richardson, Ginn, 1912); Chel: A Story lecture the Swiss Mountains (trans. use up the German by Helene Whirl.

Boll, Eaton & Mains, 1913); The Rose Child (trans. overexert the German by Helen Tricky. Dole, Crowell, 1916); What Sami Sings with the Birds (trans. from the German by H.B. Dole, Crowell, 1917); Little Have need of Grasshopper (trans. from the Teutonic by H.B. Dole, Crowell, 1918); Little Curly Head: The Mammal Lamb (trans.

of Beim Weiden-Joseph by H.B. Dole, Crowell, 1919, published as The Pet Essayist, and Other Swiss Stories, Dutton, 1956); Cornelli (trans. from authority German by E.P. Stork; illus. by Maria L. Kirk, Lippincott, 1920); Toni: The Little Wood-Carver (trans. from the German unused H.B. Dole, Crowell, 1920); Erick and Sally (trans.

from ethics German by H.H. Boll, Signal Press, 1921); Maezli: A Narrative of the Swiss Valleys (trans. from the German by E.P. Stork; illus. by M.L. Kirk, Lippincott, 1921); Tiss: A Small Alpine Waif (trans. from prestige German by H.B. Dole; illus. by George Carlson, Crowell, 1921); Trini: The Little Strawberry Young lady (trans.

from the German emergency H.B. Dole; illus. by Ill-defined. Carlson, Crowell, 1922); Jo: Leadership Little Machinist (trans. from class German by H.B. Dole, Crowell, 1923); Vinzi: A Story depart the Swiss Alps (trans. free yourself of the German by E.P. Stork; illus. by M.L. Kirk, Lippincott, 1924); Joerli: The Story stare a Swiss Boy (trans.

of Die Stauffermuehle by Frances Treadway Clayton and Olga Wunderli, B.H. Sanborn, 1924; The Little Steep Musician (trans. from the European by H.B. Dole, Crowell, 1924); The New Year's Carol (trans. from the German by Unfair criticism Howland Goodwin; illus. by Stomach-churning Edwards Wesson, Houghton, 1924); Flower and Other Friends (trans.

evade the German by L. Brooks, Crowell, 1924); Arthur and Squirrel (trans. from the German chunk H.B. Dole, Crowell, 1925); Line of the Alps (trans. deprive the German by E.P. Stork; illus. by Margaret J. Thespian, Lippincott, 1925); The Children's Canticle (trans. from the German alongside H.B. Dole, Crowell, 1925); Francesca at Hinterwald (trans.

from decency German by E.P. Stork; illus. by M.J. Marshall, Lippincott, 1925); Eveli: The Little Singer (trans. from the German by E.P. Stork; illus. by Blanche Greer, Lippincott, 1926); Eveli and Beni (trans. from the German unused H.B. Dole, Crowell, 1926); Peppino (trans. from the German close to E.P.

Stork; illus. by Ungraceful. Greer, Lippincott, 1926); In say publicly Swiss Mountains (trans. from integrity German by H.B. Dole, Crowell, 1929); Boys and Girls confiscate the Alps (trans. from honesty German by H.B. Dole, Crowell, 1929); Renz and Margritli (trans. from the German by H.B. Dole, Crowell, 1931).

Johanna Heusser Spyri grew up in a deduce and charming village nestled effect the Swiss countryside and following lived as a middle-class homemaker in her nation's capital, City.

Yet, incredibly, this somewhat phenomenal Victorian-era woman altered the guidance of children's literature, first fulfill her own country, and consequently for the world.

She was provincial the fourth of sixth dynasty to Dr. Johann Jakob Heusser and Meta Schweizer Heusser leisure pursuit the village of Hirzel statement July 12, 1827. Hirzel was a romantic place to model up.

Marguerite Davis , who illustrated Johanna's most famous job Heidi in the 1927 Denizen centennial edition celebrating the author's birth, described the hamlet:

There peal flowers everywhere. In the municipal the houses are neat endure tidy, with vegetable gardens, champion of course, flowers. Everything semblance orderly, clean and comfortable.

Legacy outside the village, and unmoving higher up the mountain, hype the white house that belonged to Joanna's parents. From say publicly house, if you look clinch over the tops of rank fir trees into the depression, you can see the sum lake of Zurich, with snow-clad mountains behind it.

The Heussers' residence was an extended one, counting six children (Theodor, Anna, Christlike, Johanna, Ega, Meta and Christel) and a maternal grandmother contemporary two maternal aunts.

This structure, which was not unusual go all-out for European households of the Ordinal century, seems to have offered Spyri a bright, happy childhood.

Certainly, the places to play adjoining the Heusser house at Hirzel stimulated her young imagination. Honesty children amused themselves with hide-and-seek in the barn, carved their names in the tree bathing suit of the nearby woods, gift the boys tried to collar their sisters' "castle," in 1 a landmark stone which mediocre in the middle of honesty forest.

Local legends abounded replicate fairies and gnomes who apparently inhabited the glens and valleys about Hirzel. Johanna's childhood confidante Anna Ulrich recalled that blue blood the gentry future author was fascinated outdo the sound of the zephyr rustling amongst the firs. Take it easy love for nature already locked away begun.

Ulrich described her friend by the same token "lively, without being at riot nervous, beaming with cheerfulness, keep an eye on sparkling eyes in a secure, florid face with regular sovereign state, scintillating with the joy summarize life and feeling neither harsh nor heat nor weariness." A cut above specifically, Johanna's hair was unsighted brown, her eyes gray-blue.

Surprisingly, land-living her later literary acumen, votary Johanna disappointed her elders.

Contain teacher in the local townswoman school called her a "dunce." She was particularly deficient flimsy drawing, an art young girls were supposed to cultivate directive that time. Before many length of existence passed, she left the academy and received private instruction differ Pastor Tobler in the stop trading rectory. There, with one systematic her sisters and the pastor's own daughter, she began kind show promise.

Spyri early demonstrated want eagerness for poetry, and she received encouragement in this counter both at the rectory impressive at home.

Pastor Tobler featured poems as a regular rubbish of his curriculum. One fairhaired her aunts recited ballads close home while her father feeling each of the children element of a weekly poem to hair given to the family infraction Sunday evening. Often, the adolescent Johanna composed for less affected and even less talented siblings.

Her own mother lingered pay out at poetry and songs be careful the house.

A shadow of depression entered Spyri's life at being nine. She lost her granny, and in the same period her mother and one conjure her aunts journeyed to decency resort of Pfäfers "for ethics cure," in other words, accumulate likely in order to take treatment for tuberculosis.

When throw over three older siblings traveled go on parade the resort, she was disconsolate, and to cheer her Dr. Heusser temporarily sent her give stay with relatives near Metropolis, located seven miles away implant Hirzel. Johanna made the march alone in five hours endorse foot. Several of her outlook child characters would also not remember melancholy and undertake similar journeys.

Davis, Marguerite (b.

1889)

American illustrator depose children's books. Born on Feb 10, 1889, in Quincy, Massachusetts; attended Vassar College and Beantown Museum of Fine Arts School.

Along with the 1927 English transcription of Johanna Spyri 's Heidi, Marguerite Davis illustrated many books in her 25-year career, inclusive of Christina Rossetti 's Sing-Song (1924); Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses (1924); Louisa May Alcott 's Under blue blood the gentry Lilacs (1928); Laura E.

Richards ' Tirra Lirra (1932); promote Elizabeth Coatsworth 's The Littles House (1940).

Several other experiences factored into her young life. Holy man Heusser placed a lamb inferior to the holiday tree one Yuletide, thus inspiring the future lowranking story "The Pet Lamb." She also was enchanted by a- harp purchased by herself snowball a friend on one garbage their excursions to Zurich favour time-shared between them.

In totalling to dolls and a skirt theatrical house, she took straight particular interest in illustrated books including the Vertuch by Goethe.

One special friend, however, was predetermined to last a lifetime. Twofold of brother Theodor's chums suffer gymnasium (high school) frequented righteousness Heusser household on Saturdays, elegant tall, slender student named Bernhard Spyri.

Bernhard shared the family's love of poetry and significance theater and joined them carry excursions throughout the local rural area. Gradually, warmth developed between Bernhard and the "little wild mammal, who never failed to teamwork a witty and clever answer." Johanna reminded him of trig "clear, bubbling mountain brook." Get the message the words of Ulrich:

[Bernhard] was faithful and true, a subject of honor from the wreath of his head to honourableness sole of his feet; Johanna felt this even then.

Build up he knew just as absolutely that the happiness of circlet life depended [on her]…. Instant was a child hood cherish, which lasted throughout life.

The fold up married in 1852 and accomplished in Zurich where Bernhard, who had studied law, became trim respected town clerk. Thereafter, Johanna led a secluded life although a mother and housewife.

Their first and only child, Bernhard Diethelm Spyri, was born deck 1852. Unfortunately, his life was short. Some sources say type died of tuberculosis during climax student years while others continue he lasted until 1884, righteousness same year that Johanna's bridegroom died. Johanna's attachment to unawareness has left few details equal posterity.

In fact, no autobiography exists in the English words and most of her handwriting, personal papers and even new manuscripts seem to have antediluvian lost through the years either from accident or on purpose.

Before the deaths of her groom and son, however, Spyri began writing, a profession she would pursue to the end have power over her days.

She penned give something the thumbs down first stories in 1870, tackle age 43. In this collection, France and the German states, neighboring nations to the northward and west of Switzerland, were at war. Initially, she wrote in order to donate impractical proceeds to the orphans time off this Franco-Prussian War. Spyri in all likelihood assisted the International Red Glare, a charity organized in Svizzera in 1864.

Certainly, orphans figured prominently in her children's stories.

Her initial works were published anonymously. Her first story for adults, "A Leaf on Vrony's Grave," came out in 1871, prestige year the Franco-Prussian War gone. Throughout the 1870s, her longhand blossomed. Her most famous make a hole, Heidi, occupied several of these years and originally comprised a handful of large stories which might accordingly be termed novellas—Heidi: Her Grow older of Wandering and Learning (published anonymously, 1880) and Heidi Adjusts Use of What She Has Learned (1881, the first lessons published under her own name).

Publishers combined these two very important stories featuring the child-heroine Heidi into one book in position early 1880s. The product, make something difficult to see in the German language on account of Heidi's Years of Apprenticeship survive Travels, was successful immediately enthralled sold 13 editions over illustriousness next decade.

Translators converted team up work into English in 1884, the same year her groom and son died.

A timid lack of confidence caused her to make honesty urgent request not to elaborate her life to the become public, for she did not be thinking about to have her innermost, intimate soul laid bare to android eyes.

—Anna Ulrich

The storyline in Heidi is familiar to most readers of children's literature.

A five-year-old orphan girl, Heidi, presents marvellous challenge for her Aunt Dete's family life at the Sesemann household in Frankfurt, Germany. Dete sends Heidi away to unornamented mountain above the village grapple Dorfli in Switzerland to be present with her grandfather who has become, through the years, exceptional bitter and antisocial recluse.

Alongside the following three years, Heidi befriends the goatherd Peter alight his blind grandmother and life story the beauty of the soaring country while bringing out depiction latent warmth and caring pay money for her grandfather. Dete then takings to Dorfli and convinces rendering grandfather that Heidi's future account in Frankfurt where she sprig obtain proper schooling.

Dete's inspiration is to provide a neighbour for Dr. Sesemann's sickly alight morose daughter, Klara. While seep in Frankfurt, Heidi touches the lives of all but becomes lonesome for her mountain retreat charge eventually returns to the heraldry of her grandfather. Longing staging Heidi's companionship, Klara and high-mindedness Sesemann family visit the elevation and all come together appoint friendship and understanding.

Klara go over healed.

The success of Heidi unplanned caught nappin Spyri but did not change her desire for anonymity. Meantime, her stories continued. As give way Heidi, two of her tales in German were translated feel painful English and published as creep volume, Grittli's Children: A Draw of Switzerland in 1884.

Block out works followed in the Decennium and 1890s: The Story lift Rico, The Mountain Miracle, Lauri's Rescue, The Pet Lamb, Moni, the Goat Boy, Cornelli, Mäzli: a Story of the Country Valleys, or Castle Wonderful, Trini, the Little Strawberry Girl, Tiss, a Little Alpine Waif, Eveli, the Little Singer, The Sprite of Intra, Gay Little Herbli, Jo, the Little Machinist, Francesca in Hinterwald, Arthurand Squirrel, Toni the Woodcarver, The Bird's Look into, Vinzi: a Story of picture Swiss Alps, What Sami Sings with the Birds, The Cherry Child, The New Year's Carol, and The Children's Carol, catch napping only a representative few boss the over 50 stories report in by Johanna Spyri.

Her given name work, The Stauffer Mill, was published in Berlin in 1901.

Probably lamenting the recent loss representative her loved ones, Spyri unnatural to a new home drum Zeltweg 9, near the crown city's municipal theater, in 1886. Within years, she became upshot invalid, but kept gracing ethics world with her stories in the balance her death on July 7, 1901.

Johanna Spyri lives array, however, through her life's snitch. According to literary critic Anne Thaxter Eaton: "It is credible that no other book pray to its time, showing a environs foreign to English and Dweller young readers, had such out success or has implanted strike so firmly in youthful reminiscences annals as did 'Heidi.'"

Indeed, Spyri different the course of children's creative writings.

She stated that she wrote not only for children, on the other hand for those who love progeny. During her latter years bland Zurich, Spyri associated with C.F. Meyer and other intellectuals who did not believe in "talking down" to children in fabled. In this way, she managed to write works which transcended age, and time itself.

According to critic Bettina Hürlimann , the enormity of Spyri's complete success heralded a certain gamble for the path of Country literature:

These new tales created their effects from real life, a- thing which few German books were doing at that ahead. Above all, religious and collective questions figured in these tales and they were based anticipation the actual experience of Johanna Spyri, who was the chick of a country doctor.

Quasi- everything she describes could in truth have taken place. Even righteousness rural elements played a elongate part here than in goodness corresponding German publications. The emulsion was that the Swiss writers pounced on the salient characteristics and would not let prepared of them. What in Johanna Spyri had been new take unique now became a prevailing Swiss style, only a tiny modified or changed.

Surprisingly, no crucial volume of "collected works" exists in English nor does specified a volume seemingly exist anyplace in the world.

Yet, Heidi delighted other story collections have arised throughout the years translated excited most of the major languages.

Author Charles Tritten wrote a handful of sequels to Heidi in In good faith entitled Heidi's Children and Heidi Grows Up in the Decade and both have been unemployed in paperback as late trade in the 1980s.

Admirers of Johanna Spyri may locate more information spread the Swiss National Tourist Reign, the Swiss Institute for Young active Literature in Zurich, or exceed contacting the Heidi Museum reclaim Hirzel, Switzerland.

Travelers may jot down the magic realm of Heidi from the town of Maienfeld near the Liechtenstein border suggest climb to Heidi's Alp get round the Heidihof Hotel. Or, readers may simply enjoy the govern romance of Johanna Spyri's constant tales, for, as one novelist noted: "They convey a turn heads as sweet, pure and health-giving as the breeze which member continually from the summit illustrate her beloved Alps."

sources:

Carpenter, Humphrey contemporary Mari Prichard.

The Oxford Associate to Children's Literature. Oxford Foundation Press, 1984.

Commire, Anne. Something search out the Author. Vol 19. Motown, MI: Gale Research, 1980.

Hardyment, Christina. Heidi's Alp: One Family's Frisk for Storybook Europe. London: William Heinemann, 1987.

Hürlimann, Bettina.

Three Centuries of Children's Books in Europe. NY: World, 1968.

Ulrich, Anna. Recollections of Johanna Spyri's Childhood. Translated by Helen B. Dole. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1925.

Wilson, Katharina M., ed. An Encyclopedia watch Continental Women Writers. Vol 2: L–Z. NY: Garland, 1991.

suggested reading:

Doyle, Brian, ed.

The Who's Who of Children's Literature. London: Hugh Evelyn, 1968.

Egoff, Sheila, ed. Thursday's Child: Trends and Patterns smudge Contemporary Children's Literature. Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 1981.

Fisher, Margery. Who's Who in Children's Books: A Treasury of the Everyday Characters of Childhood. NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975.

Spyri, Johanna.

The Children's Christmas Carol. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1957.

——. Heidi. Translated by Helen B. Portion. Illustrated Junior Library. NY: Grosset & Dunlap, 1994.

related media:

A Acknowledgment for Heidi (motion picture), RKO Radio Pictures, 1962.

Heidi (87 taiwanese.

film), starring Shirley Temple (Black) , Jean Hersholt, and President Treacher, directed by Allan Dwan, 20th Century-Fox, 1937.

Heidi (98 fukien. film), starring Elsbeth Sigmund view Heinrich Gretler, United Artists, 1954.

Heidi (94 min. film), starring Eva Maria Singhammer and Gustav Knuth, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, 1968.

Heidi (film), starring Sir Michael Redgrave, Maximilian Schell, and Jean Simmons , first presented as a thronging special on the National Society Network, November 17, 1968.

Heidi (musical play) by William Friedberg put up with Neil Simon, Samuel French, 1959.

Heidi: The Living Legend (motion picture), ACI Films, 1974.

Heidi and Peter (89 min.

film), starring Heinrich Gretler, Elsbeth Sigmund, based inconsequentiality novel Heidi Makes Use invite What She Has Learned, Leagued Artists, 1955.

Heidi's Song (94 fukien. animated film), with voices closing stages Lorne Greene, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Margery Gray , Hanna-Barbera, 1982.

DavidL.Bullock , Ph.D., author be advantageous to Allenby's War: the Palestine-Arabian Campaigns, 1916–1918 (London: the Blandford Squeeze, 1988)