Johanna Spyri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Johanna Spyri
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Johanna Spyri, 1879
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| Born | 12 June 1827 Hirzel, Switzerland |
| Died | 7 July 1901 (aged 74) Zürich, Switzerland |
| Occupation | Short story writer, novelist |
| Genre | Children's literature, adult literature |
| Notable works | Heidi |
Johanna Louise Spyri (born Heusser; 12 June 1827 – 7 July 1901) was a famous Swiss writer. She wrote many books, especially stories for children. Her most well-known book is Heidi. Johanna was born in Hirzel, a small town in Zurich, Switzerland. When she was a child, she spent many summers near Chur in Graubünden. This beautiful area later became the setting for her stories.
Johanna Spyri's Life
Johanna Heusser was born in Hirzel, Switzerland. Her father was a doctor, and her mother was a poet.
She grew up in a big family. She lived with her parents, two brothers, three sisters, her grandmother, two aunts, and two cousins. This large household gave her ideas for her book Gritli's Children.
As a child, Johanna spent several summers near Chur in Graubünden. These trips inspired the places she wrote about in her books. She went to school only in her village of Hirzel. She also enjoyed writing poetry when she was young.
When she was 25, Johanna married Bernhard Spyri. They had known each other since they were children. They lived in Zurich, Switzerland. They had one child, a son. In Zurich, they were friends with famous people like the musician Richard Wagner and the poet Conrad Ferdinand Meyer. Sadly, both her husband and her son died in 1884 from a sickness called tuberculosis.
Her Famous Books
Johanna Spyri started writing in 1870. She wanted to help children who had lost their parents or homes during the Franco-Prussian War. She wrote stories about their lives and used the money from her books to help them.
Her first stories became very popular. So, she decided to write another story about an orphan girl named Heidi. She first published part of Heidi in 1881 without using her name. The book became very famous, so she published the second part in 1882 using her real name. She became well-known but preferred to live a quiet life.
Johanna Spyri wrote more than forty stories for children in German. Many of these stories have been translated into English. Heidi is still her most popular book, and new versions are still printed today.
She died in Zurich on July 7, 1901. She is buried with her family in Zurich.
Images for kids
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Gravesite at Sihlfeld cemetery in Zurich
See also
In Spanish: Johanna Spyri para niños
