Johanna Spyri
Johanna Spyri was a Swiss author best known for her classic children's novel, "Heidi." Born in 1827 in Hirzel, Switzerland, Spyri began writing in 1870, initially creating stories and poems for her son, Bernhard. Her writing was also motivated by a desire to support those affected by the Franco-Prussian War, as she aimed to donate the proceeds from her books to help wounded soldiers and orphans seeking refuge in Switzerland. Over her lifetime, Spyri published around forty books, most of which have been translated into English, but it is "Heidi" that remains her most enduring work, having inspired numerous adaptations, including films and stage productions. She lived a relatively quiet life, marrying Bernhard Spyri and experiencing profound personal loss with the deaths of her husband and son in 1884. Despite her prolific output, Spyri's legacy is primarily tied to "Heidi," which continues to resonate with audiences around the world. She passed away in Berlin in 1901, leaving behind a significant cultural imprint through her beloved stories.
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Johanna Spyri
Author
- Born: June 12, 1827
- Birthplace: Hirzel, Switzerland
- Died: July 7, 1901
- Place of death: Berlin, Germany
Biography
Swiss author Johanna Spyri began writing children’s poems and stories in 1870. She wrote for the entertainment of her only son, Bernhard, but she also wrote for a second, more serious purpose. The ongoing Franco-Prussian war was producing an influx of wounded soldiers and orphans who were taking refuge in Switzerland. Spyri hoped that the sales of her books could benefit those in need.
Although Spyri wrote forty books, most of which have been translated into English, her enduring fame rests upon one classic novel, Heidis Lehr und Wanderjahre: Eine Geschichte für Kinder und auch für solche welche die Kinder lieb haben, a book that in Louise Brooks’s translation became known to English speakers as Heidi: A Story for Children and Those That Love Children. Heidi became in later incarnations a well-known Twentieth Century Fox feature film starring Shirley Temple (1937), a television play, a miniseries, a musical, and a stage play. The book was published again in 1990 with illustrations by Tomi Ungerer and in 2000 with illustrations by Pamela Venus.
Spyri lived a quiet life without fanfare. She was born in 1827 in Hirzel, a small town in the Swiss Alps, to her father Johann Jakob Heusser, a doctor, and her mother, Meta Schweizer Heusser. Her mother wrote poetry and song lyrics. Her extended family, consisting of her parents, five siblings, a grandmother, aunts, and cousins, served as the source for many of the characters in her novels.
She married Bernhard Spyri, a friend of her brother, at the age of twenty-five. The couple had one child, Bernhard, born in 1855. The family lived in Zurich, where her husband became the town clerk. Both her husband and son died in 1884.
Spyri began writing in earnest in 1870 and published prolifically up until her death in Berlin in 1901. Most of her works were translated into English, beginning in 1884 and continuing primarily into the 1920’s. Several translators, including most prominently Louise Brooks, Lucy Wheelock, Helen B. Dole, and Elisabeth P. Stork, have been responsible for the majority of the translations of Spyri’s work. Several additional novels from the turn of the century remain untranslated. Although she wrote many other books for children, it is Heidi that endures as Spyri’s signature work.