Profession: Writer
Biography: Johanna Spyri wrote the famous children's book "Heidi." The novel tells the story of a young orphan girl who goes to live with her grandfather in the mountains of Switzerland.
Spyri was born in 1827 in the village of Hirzel. As a child, she spent summers in the mountainous area of Graubünden, which would later inspire the setting for Heidi and her other stories. In 1852, Spyri married Bernhard Spyri, a lawyer from Zurich.
Spyri began writing in 1873 with "A Leaf on Vrony's Grave," a story about domestic abuse. Her best-known work, however, was Heidi, written in just four weeks and published in two parts in 1880 and 1881.
The deaths of her husband and only son in 1884 led Spyri to devote herself to writing and charity work. Over the rest of her life she wrote more than 50 other stories for children and adults.
Born: June 12, 1827
Birthplace: Hirzel, Switzerland
Star Sign: Gemini
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