Johanna Spyri

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Johanna Louise Heusser
One of Johanna Spyri most common known portraits.
Born	June 12, 1827(1827-06-12) {Hirzel, Switzerland
Died	July 7, 1901 (aged 73) Zürich, Switzerland
Occupation	short story writer, Novelist
Genres	Children's Literature, Adult Literature
Literary movement	Children's Literature
Notable work(s)	Heidi

Johanna Spyri (IPA: [johana ʃpiːʁi]) (June 12, 1827 - July 7, 1901) was an author of children's stories, and is best known for Heidi. Born Johanna Louise Heusser in the rural area of Hirzel, Switzerland, as a child she spent several summers in the area around Chur in Graubünden, the setting she later would use in her novels.

[edit] Biography

In 1852, Johanna Heusser married Bernhard Spyri, a lawyer. While living in the city of Zürich she began to write about life in the country. Her first book titled A Leaf on Vrony's Grave, was published in 1871 and the following year further stories for both adults and children appeared, among them the tale of Heidi that became an instant and enduring success. Heidi, the story of an orphan girl who lives with her grandfather in the Alps, is not only famous for its vivid portrayal of the landscape but also for its understanding of how children see life and their feelings.

Her husband and her only child, a son named Bernard, both died in 1884. Alone, she devoted herself to charitable causes and wrote over fifty more stories before her death in 1901. She was interred in the family plot at the Sihlfeld-A Cemetery in Zürich, Switzerland. An icon in Switzerland, Johanna Spyri's portrait was placed on a postage stamp in 1951 and on a 20 CHF commemorative coin in 2001.