Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} by Johanna Spyri: Heidi, the Girl from the Alps. Heidi, the Girl from the Alps , a two-volume novel written by Johanna Spyri (born in 1827 in a small village, died in the city of Zurich in 1901), was published in 1879 / 1880, became a world-wide success story already towards the end of the 19th century and children do still like it today - as a book, as a radio play and as a movie. Heidi is by far the most popular piece of Swiss literature ever written and has been translated from German into 50 languages, been filmed more than a dozen times, and more than 50 million copies of Heidi books have been sold world-wide (Switzerland's population is only 8 million . ). The orphan child Heidi first lives with her aunt Dete, but Dete would like to concentrate on her career. So she brings Heidi to her grandfather, a queer old man living in an alpine cottage far from the next village (he is therefore called Alm-Uncle, Alpöhi or Almöhi in German). Alm-Uncle is good-hearted but mistrusts anybody and wants to keep the child from all evils of the world. So he refuses to send Heidi to school; instead she goes to the pastures, together with Peter, a shepherd boy looking after the goats. These Swiss goats might look much like Alm-Uncle's goats Little Bear and Little Swan. This (all too harmonious) alpine idyll finds a sudden end when aunt Dete comes in again and brings Heidi to Frankfurt (Germany) where she shall stay with Clara, the paralyzed daughter of a rich family, and is supposed to learn something. Heidi who has never seen a town, least a city, travels a distance of over 500 km (300 miles) to one of the largest European cities situated in a foreign country with a different culture. Downtown Frankfurt may have looked quite like this by the end of the 19 th century. Thanks to the grandmother of Clara, Heidi learns to read and write, but she can't get acquainted to the strict discipline in a bourgeois upper class house (personified by governess Fraulein Rottenmeier). Heidi is very lonely and gets depressed by the gray anonymous city. She becomes ill of homesickness and starts to walk in her sleep. Miss Rottenmeier is alarmed, not because of the fate of the poor child, but rather because she thinks that there are ghosts in the old house. Finally Clara's father Herr Stresemann and the sympathetic doctor of the family decide to stay up till midnight and find out about the ghosts. When the doctor sees Heidi walking around in her sleep, he finds the right diagnosis and sends her back to the alps. Next summer, Clara visits Heidi there. They go to the pastures and Heidi shows Clara all the beauty of her alpine world. Peter gets terribly jealous, and in a moment when he feels unobserved, he pushes the empty wheelchair down to the valley so it gets smashed. Clara wants to see the flowers and is forced to walk - and her desire is strong enough that she overcomes her handicap. Healings at body, spirit and soul in that healthy Alpine world - end well, all well. Heidi Movies from 1920 to 2001. 1920 The first film production on Heidi was a silent movie made in USA 1937 Sound film by Allan Dawn starring Shirley Temple as Heidi 1952 Swiss film production by Luigi Comencini starring Elsbeth Sigmund as Heidi , Thomas Klameth as Geissenpeter and Heinrich Gretler (one of Switzerland's best know actors) as Alp�hi . This was probably the most successful Swiss movie in the USA (300 copies in 4300 movie theaters). 1955 Franz Schnyder tries to follow on his own successful 1954/1955 film productions dealing with stories by Jeremias Gotthelf (a conservative early 19 th century Swiss writer) and presents his own version of Heidi (same leading actors as in Comencini's production). Schnyder's Heidi is the first color movie produced in Switzerland - (all too) obviously in the service of tourism-advertising 1965 Austrian film production starring Eva Maria Sieghammer as Heidi 1967/68 American production starring Jennifer Edwards as Heidy 1977 Japanese animated cartoon films (a television series consisting of 52 issues), very successful also in Germany, Austria and Switzerland 1979 German televion series (26 issues) starring Katja Polletin (Austria) as Heidi , Stefan Arpagaus (Switzerland) as Geissenpeter and Katharina B�hm as Clara 1988 Alienation of the subject matter: Michael Douglas produces in Austria. Heidi and Peter are presented as a young courting couple during World War I 1992 Short television series by Walt Disney 2001 The recent Swiss Heidi film production by Markus Imboden keeps roughly to the traditional action frame, but modernizes the details radically - concerning both the psychology of the figures (the stubborn Geissenpeter has changed into a cool boy) and the hightech accessories (Heidi and Peter communicate via internet and mobile phone SMS [Short Message Service, very popular among European teenagers in the early 2000's when we still had 2G mobile phones and social media had not been invented yet]). 2001 Remake of the successful Japanese comic series of 1977. Heidi: an Attempt to an Interpretation. Starting with movie director Imboden's view. At first sight, Heidi is certainly «an emotional story dealing with primitive fears; the anxiety of the child to be without parents and to be displaced.» (Markus Imboden, movie director). To this substance the story is reduced essentially when Imboden starts his 2001 Heidi movie on the Alp (not on lovely pastures, but rather in a modern mountain restaurant, however), and finishes at a Popmusic concert in Zurich's Hall Stadium. Imboden openly admits that he intends to radically change the view we have of Heidi , «because it has been misused, instrumentalized ideologically and politically.» With this kind of internal distance to the traditional view of Heidi, we might, however, miss the chance to understand this novel for children in a deeper sense - taking into account that all good children's books have to say quite something to adults as well. Trying to take a detached view. Perhaps we have to keep a little distance from the tendency of Swiss intellectuals to critize traditional Swiss values and take a really detached view - for example a Japanese view. While some academics in Switzerland are very critical about Johanna Spyri in general and her novel Heidi in particular, it may be significant that the only complete edition of Johanna Spyri's works was published in Japan (1962). As far as has been reported in Swiss newspapers, young Japanese women do not see and love Heidi as a precocious, vigourous teenager (as Imhof presents her). Heidi seems to be loved as a child of nature, a symbol for romanticism and lost innocence. Such notions, however, remind of the end of the 19 th century when authoress Johanna Spyri born as the daughter of a physician in a small peasant village Hirzel am Albis moves to live with her aunt in the city of Zurich where she could attend a high school. She shares the feelings of insecurity with thousands of workers displaced by the compulsions of the industrialisation. Moving out of rural Switzerland into modern cities was sort of a "cultural shock" for most of them. Besides they had to struggle hard to find their place, not only economically, but as well emotionally. Orientation in a Changing World. Johanna Spyri's Heidi -story tries to give orientation in a world shaken by rapid social change, a world in disorder that makes people feel insecure - and this is exactly what makes the story attractive today in view of neoliberalism and globalization. The foundation on an inctact alpine nature is, however, but one element of the story and we should not take an isolated view on just that. Heidi as presented by Johanna Spyri does not return into the intact alpine world as if she had never been to the metropolitan city - to the contrary: Heidi makes use of what she has learnt (the title of the second book is program!). Johanna Spyri does not opt for a cheap retreat into a idealized sweet world (as grandfather Alm-Uncle does in his frustration about mankind), neither for an obstinate keeping to simple views (as Peter the shepherd, who is too lazy to learn reading and writing). Johanna Spyri presents a third way and wants to empower people to accept new challenges while keeping a good heart like Heidi, who is able to read stories to Peter's blind grandmother and even moves her unsociable grandfather to return into the village community. Conclusion (2003) Seen from this perspective, I wouldn't interpret the message of the story as sheer propaganda for internet and mobile phone "literacy" (on a simply technical level) neither for coolness as Markus Imhoof's movie might suggest. The real challenge today is not, whether to use the modern means of communication at all, but rather what and how to communicate . Addendum (2015-2020) Writing this interpretation I felt pretty much off-mainstream in 2003. Twelve years later, Leandro Erlich, a famous Argentinian artist, created an installation called «Pulled by the Roots» on the marketplace of Karlsruhe (Germany), halfway between Switzerland and Frankfurt. «Erlich, who is known worldwide for his hyper-real sculptures and installations, unambiguously addresses global issues such as uprooting, migration and simulation.» (from the official website of this art project, translation from German). While most intellectuals in Switzerland tend to reject traditional Swiss values and promote an uncritical enthusiasm for globalization and multiculturalism they seem not to take notice of people feeling lost and uprooted in our «age of diversity». Though most of them do know the philosophical term «social alienation» in theory they seem not to recognise how many people experience our «global village» as a source of alienation. And maybe that's why they don't understand why populist parties in Europe find so many supporters and why Donald Trump got elected president of the USA in 2016. Leandro Erlich, «Pulled by the Roots», Karlsruhe 2015. Frankfurt/Main (Germany), 2016: «the future will be confusing» Heidi. As a little girl with no parents, Heidi was raised in the beautiful mountains where her grandfather and grandmother lived. She had a happy and naive life, spending time with the old pair and her only friend, an 11 year old boy named Peter. But as the girl grew older and was sent to school, she began to understand how great and valuable, and so gentle, home had been. A pretty story that readers will find themselves reading over and over again in times to come.--Submitted by Molly. Originally published in two parts as Heidi's years of learning and travel (German: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and Heidi makes use of what she has learned. (German: Heidi kann brauchen, was es gelernt hat) This is a novel about the events in the life of a young girl in her grandfather's care, in the Swiss Alps. It was written as a book "for children and those who love children" (as quoted from its subtitle). Heidi is one of the best-selling books ever written and is among the best-known works of Swiss literature. Adelheid ("Heidi") is a girl who has been raised by her aunt Dete in Maienfeld, Switzerland after the early deaths of her parents, Tobias and Adelheid (Dete's sister and brother-in-law). Dete brings 5-year-old Heidi to her grandfather (her father's father), who has been at odds with the villagers and embittered against God for years and lives in seclusion on the alm. This has earned him the nickname Alp-Öhi ("Alm-Uncle" in the Graubünden dialect). Alm-Uncle briefly resents Heidi's arrival, but the girl's evident intelligence and cheerful yet unaffected demeanor soon earn his genuine, if reserved, affection. Heidi enthusiastically befriends her new neighbors, young Peter the goatherd and his mother and blind grandmother. With each season that passes, the mountaintop inhabitants grow more attached to Heidi. Fan of this book? Help us introduce it to others by writing a better introduction for it. It's quick and easy, click here. Recent Forum Posts on Heidi. Heidi, a Girl of the Alps. I felt my tears come when I read the part of the novel in which Heidi started to sleep walk. She dreamed about her home high up in the mountain and her grandpa each night, only to wake up and know again that she was still in the city. Each night she went back to her grandpa in a dream, which made her walk out unconciously to search for things that she could never in her life get out of her head. She loved her grandpa and her home. It is one of the most charming pieces of literature I've ever read in my life. Posted By virginiawang at Sat 6 Jun 2009, 10:33 AM in Heidi || 0 Replies. I love the novel, Heidi, a Girl of the Alps. Hello, I read a few chaperts from Heidi, a girl of the Alps recently, and my tears often trickled down. I guess it was because I grew up with my grandpa, just like Heidi, in a countryside, and I found some difficulty in getting along with some of my relatives who were rich and famous, when I was growing up. When Heidi was moved to a place far away from her home high up in the mountain, she became really sad deep within her heart that she finally gave way to sleep walk. In my opinion, the girl, Heidi best describes what Emerson wrote in his essay, nature, that the rays of stars only shot into the eyes of children or those adults with the mind of children. Only children can see through nature and enjoy its blessings. I wish I still had the mind of a child. Anyway, I enjoy reading Heidi quite a lot. Posted By virginiawang at Wed 3 Jun 2009, 1:33 PM in Heidi || 1 Reply. Sequels to Heidi. Any of you ever read Heidi grows up and Heidi's children? It's written by Charles Tritten. They are the sequels to Heidi, written by Johanna Spyri. Posted By Adelheid at Thu 3 Feb 2005, 10:41 AM in Heidi || 5 Replies. Heidi. Heidi is one of the most popular children's books ever published, second only to Pinocchio—with over 50 million copies in print around the world (in at least 50 languages). Heidi is a delightful read. It is one of the most heartwarming Christian stories of all time for children. This is a book filled with joy, gratefulness, and praise to God. It is an ideal story for the Christian family, complete with vivid descriptions of sin, rebellion, God's mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation, and faith. Young readers will learn about prayer, the purpose of trials, the sovereignty of God, and the goodness of God. Over the years, much of the Christian content was removed from modern English editions of Heidi . The goal of this landmark republication was to restore all of the original Christian content, some of which was restored from the original German edition of 1881. Features. Enjoy the Christian heritage of this story, including numerous hymns and prayers contained in the original edition Read Scripture verses which tie directly into the story Share with your children key lessons from each chapter. Excerpt. 'The old man now folded his hands and said in a low voice, as big tears rolled down his cheeks: '˜Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against Thee, and I am no more worthy to be Thy son!''​ Description. Heidi is one of the most popular children's books ever published, second only to Pinocchio—with over 50 million copies in print around the world (in at least 50 languages). Heidi is a delightful read. It is one of the most heartwarming Christian stories of all time for children. This is a book filled with joy, gratefulness, and praise to God. It is an ideal story for the Christian family, complete with vivid descriptions of sin, rebellion, God's mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation, and faith. Young readers will learn about prayer, the purpose of trials, the sovereignty of God, and the goodness of God. Over the years, much of the Christian content was removed from modern English editions of Heidi . The goal of this landmark republication was to restore all of the original Christian content, some of which was restored from the original German edition of 1881. Features. Enjoy the Christian heritage of this story, including numerous hymns and prayers contained in the original edition Read Scripture verses which tie directly into the story Share with your children key lessons from each chapter. Excerpt. 'The old man now folded his hands and said in a low voice, as big tears rolled down his cheeks: '˜Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against Thee, and I am no more worthy to be Thy son!''​ The vision of Generations (formerly Generations with Vision) is to pass on the faith to the next generation through the biblical family, discipleship, and education. We equip families and churches around the world through our daily radio programs, discipleship resources, the Christian Curriculum Project, and discipleship events and retreats. Phone: (888) 389-9080 Email: [email protected] Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you have about our ministry. © Copyright 2008 - 2016 Generations. All rights reserved. | Return Policy. Heidi. Filled with descriptions of the magnificent Swiss Alps, the lives of the simple country folk who live in their picturesque peaks and valleys and the gentle and innocent days of childhood, Heidi by Johanna Spyri is a book that no child should miss reading. Since it first came out, it has captured the hearts of children (and adults) all over the world, been extensively filmed, televised and staged and translated from the original German into more than 60 languages. Heidiland, a theme park, is one of the big attractions in Zurich. Heidi The Girl from the Alps by Swiss children's author Johanna Spyri was published in two parts in 1880. It tells of Heidi, a little Swiss girl whose parents' sudden death leaves her to be brought up by her aunt. Aunt Dete is a career-woman who though she loves Heidi, does not have the time or resources to look after a child in busy Frankfurt. She leaves Heidi with Heidi's grandfather, who lives in the Swiss mountains. The lonely, embittered old man lives like a hermit on the mountain-top and has nothing to do with the people in the village below. Known to all as “Alm-uncle” Heidi's grandfather is good-hearted but mistrustful of the villagers. He refuses to send Heidi to school and allows her to roam the pastures with a young goat herder, Peter. They become good friends but events take a turn when Aunt Dete decides that Heidi must stay in Frankfurt and learn to earn a living. She is employed as a companion to a rich invalid child, Clara, and soon learns to read and write along with the little girl. The city begins to take its toll on the young Heidi and she becomes ill and depressed. How Heidi returns to her beloved mountains, reforms her crotchety old grandfather and helps Clara regain her health forms the rest of this delightful story. This unassuming and easy to read book remains fresh and unspoiled, still receiving an enthusiastic response throughout the world. Generations of kids have enjoyed reading about the naïve and spontaneous Heidi, the mischievous Peter, the bitter and lonely Alm-uncle, the strict and authoritarian housekeeper Fraulein Rottenmeier, the long-suffering Clara and Clara's kind and gracious grandmother Frau Sesemann. Heidi by Johanna Spyri (1881) Johanna Spyri (1827 – 1901), the author of Heidi , has been called the “Swiss Louisa May Alcott .” Tens of millions of copies of this classic children’s novel (first published in 1881) have sold worldwide in translations of more than forty languages. Originally written in German, Heidi was Spyri’s first published novel. None of her subsequent books — and there were many — achieved the level of success as did Heidi . It’s not only the bestselling Swiss book ever published, but one of the bestselling books in the world. Heidi has also been adapted numerous times to the stage, including an opera, plus several movies and television series. One of the most famous adaptations is the 1937 Shirley Temple film , which plays up on sentimentality, charming though it is. One of the most faithful adaptations is the 2015 German language film , with an accurately dark-haired Heidi — like she was described in the book. It’s hard to account for the extraordinary popularity of Heidi . It’s a simple and rather sentimental tale of an orphan girl (of course) who is left by her aunt Dete, who has been caring for her, with her gruff grandfather, a veritable hermit living in the Swiss Alps with a few goats. Heidi wins him over (of course) and grows to love him, the mountains, and the little goat herd Peter, her only friend. After a time, Dete comes back for Heidi, over Grandfather’s objections, having secured a place for her as a companion to the disabled young daughter of a wealthy businessman. Heidi grows attached to the girl, and vice versa, but can’t shake her homesickness. She is returned to Grandfather, and, after some turmoil, all is well that ends well. Johanna Spyri’s inspiration. The 1922 David McKay edition of Heidi featured the beautiful illustrations by famed American illustrator Jessie Willcox Smith seen in this post. The introduction of this edition elaborates on what inspired Johanna Spyri: Heidi is a delightful story for children of life in the Alps, one of many tales written by the Swiss authoress, Johanna Spyri, who died in her home at Zürich in 1891. She had been well known to the younger readers of her own country since 1880, when she published her story, Heimathlos , which ran into three or more editions, and which, like her other books, as she states on the title page, was written for those who love children, as well as for the youngsters themselves. Her own sympathy with the instincts and longings of the child’s heart is shown in her picture of Heidi . The record of the early life of this Swiss child amid the beauties of her passionately loved mountain-home and during her exile in the great town has been for many years a favorite book of younger readers in Germany and America. Madame Spyri, like Hans Andersen, had by temperament a peculiar skill in writing the simple histories of an innocent world. In all her stories she shows an underlying desire to preserve children alike from misunderstanding and the mistaken kindness that frequently hinder the happiness and natural development of their lives and characters. The authoress, as we feel in reading her tales, lived among the scenes and people she describes, and the setting of her stories has the charm of the mountain scenery amid which she places her small actors. A summary of the plot of Heidi. From the original review in The Boston Globe, August 5, 1940: The housewives stopped their work and ran out to talk with Dete . She had Heidi with her and they wanted to get a good look at the child. Little five-year-old Heidi trudged along wearily beside her Aunt Deta, who had taken care of her the four years since her mother’s death. Because Heidi’s clothes would have made a heavy bundle, Dete had put them all on the child. Red-faced and hot, the child hurried along the uphill road in the June sun. The village women scolded Dete when they heard that Heidi was going to live with her grandfather. He had a bad name. While Dete was arguing, Heidi spied Peter the goat-herd. Running toward him, she began to ask a thousand questions about her new home. As she ran along, the heat became unbearable; so the little girl took off three dresses, piled them in the pathway, and skipped merrily along with Peter. Meanwhile, Dete’s conscience was giving her a bad time. Had she not promised to take care of her niece? But there was now this position that would pay her well, which she could not take with Heidi on her hands. When the two reached the hut of Heidi’s grandfather, he greeted them gruffly. He disliked Data and spoke harshly to her. Leaving the child without learning whether it was safe or not, Deteran down the mountain, pursued by her sense of guilt. Heidi was entranced by her new world. Into every corner of the hut and stable she peeped, asking “Grandfather, what is this for?” The old man spoke slowly, watching the child. To himself, he commented, “She uses her head.” Together they made a new bed, piling hay in the loft and covering it with a heavy sheet. The old man served a supper of bread and cheese with bowls of warm goat’s milk to the hungry child. She relished everything she ate. Every morning Heidi went to the higher pastures with Peter. The boy was a simple person whose environment had not contributed to his learning. Heidi was his first companion. As the summer passed, Heidi’s cheeks grew redder and her body stronger. Winter came, then June again. One, two, and three years passed. Heidi was now eight and had not yet been to school. One day the village pastor called, urging the grandfather to come to the village in winter so that Heidi could go to school. But the old man refused, responding bitterly. One day, quite unexpectedly, Dete returned. She brought word of a position for Heidi in the home of a rich man Herr Sesemann, where she would be companion to his ill daughter, Clara Heidi would share Clara’s tutors. It seemed like a wonderful opportunity, but the grandfather stormed at Dete, who took Heidi by the hand and dragged her away. Dete quieted Heidi’s protests by promises of presents she could bring back to her friends, though she didn’t reveal that this return might not take place for years. Heidi reached Frankfurt under the impression that she would return home that very night; when she learned the truth, her heart ached. To make matters worse, the housekeeper disliked children, Heidi most of all. The woman did all she could to make Heidi miserable. As Heidi’s unhappiness grew deeper, Clara grew to love Heidi and found herself getting better for having her young, lively companion. When some months had passed, life took a bad turn for Heidi. Under the constant scolding of the housekeeper, who would not let her cry, the child was repressing her homesickness and unhappiness, and she began walking in her sleep. The servants caught glimpses of a figure and thought a ghost had come to the house; but Mr. Sesemann and the family doctor began an all-night watch. When Heidi walked down and went out the front door, they woke her. The child began to sob, telling them of her nightly dream that is was with her grandfather in the Alps. “Home you go tomorrow!” ordered the doctor. So Heidi returned to her home in the mountains, with boxes of gifts for her friends. The grandfather had changed. Softened by his loneliness, he had decided to move into the village for the winter months, so that Heidi could go to school. Each Sunday morning they dressed in their best clothes and went to church. All the villagers were amazed by the old grandfather and his new ways. After some time, a letter came, saying that Clara was coming for a visit. When Clara arrived, carried in her wheelchair by a group of men, Heidi was beside herself with joy. The two girls were together in the sunshine and fresh air. For Clara, the experience brought rosy cheeks and a new strength to her body. But Peter was miserable. Jealous of Clara, he spitefully pushed her wheelchair down the mountainside. Without her chair, Clara had to be carried everywhere, this hampered her fun so much that every day she tried to walk. And eventually, she did— even winning over Peter, who came to Heidi’s aid in assisting Clara to walk. When her father came for her, he wept with happiness to see his daughter walking. The story ends with happiness in the hearts of all. More about Heidi by Johanna Spyri. Read Heidi on Project Gutenberg Reader Discussion on Goodreads The Quintessential Swiss-ness of Johanna Spyri’s Heidi Wikipedia. *This is an Amazon Affiliate link. If the product is purchased by linking through, Literary Ladies Guide receives a modest commission, which helps maintain our site and helps it to continue growing!