Heidi

Heidi is a famous children's story written by Swiss author Johanna Spyri between 1880 and 1881. The book tells the story of a young girl named Heidi who lives with her grandfather in the beautiful Swiss Alps. Heidi's adventures and growth as she experiences new things make this story special and memorable.

The book was originally published in two parts and was written especially "for children and those who love children." It has become one of the best-selling books ever written and is one of the most well-known stories in Swiss literature. People all around the world have come to love Heidi and her journey of learning and discovery.

Plot

After serving in the army, a Swiss man moves to a small village called Dörfli near Maienfeld with his young son Tobias. The villagers are wary of him and call him the Alm-Uncle because he lives alone on a mountain called an alm. Tobias marries a local girl named Adelheid, and they have a daughter named Heidi. Sadly, both parents pass away, leaving Heidi alone.

Heidi is raised by her grandmother and then by her aunt Dete. When Heidi is five, Dete takes her to live with the Alm-Uncle. At first, he is unhappy about having to care for her, but Heidi's cheerful nature soon wins him over. Heidi makes friends with Peter, a young goatherd, his mother Brigitte, and his blind grandmother Granny. The Alm-Uncle, however, does not allow Heidi to go to school because of past hurts from the villagers.

Three years later, Dete returns and takes Heidi to Frankfurt to work as a companion for Klara, a girl who cannot walk. Klara and Heidi become good friends, but Heidi feels very homesick. A doctor advises that Heidi return home for her health, and she is happy to go back to the Alm.

Back home, Heidi brings gifts and a book from Klara's grandmother. She reads stories to Granny and even helps the Alm-Uncle rediscover his faith. He starts going to church and even lets Heidi attend school during the winter.

Heidi and Klara stay in touch through letters. The doctor suggests Klara visit Heidi, believing the mountain air will help her. Klara visits the next summer and, with the help of goat's milk and fresh air, begins to get stronger. Peter, feeling jealous, pushes Klara's empty wheelchair down the mountain. Feeling guilty, he confesses, and Klara decides to try walking on her own. With time and effort, Klara learns to walk, and her family is very happy. They promise to care for Heidi if her grandfather ever cannot.

Characters

Heidi is a happy and free-spirited young girl who loses her parents and comes to live with her grandfather in the beautiful Swiss Alps. She is five years old at the start of the story and loves the fresh mountain air and her grandfather, whom others call Uncle Alm.

Other important characters include Peter, a goat herder who lives nearby and becomes a friend to Heidi, though he can be quite jealous. There is also Klara, a girl who cannot walk and lives in a big house in Frankfurt with her grandparents. Her father, Herr Sesemann, is often away on business trips. There are several kind and not-so-kind adults in Klara's home, including Fräulein Rottenmeier, the strict housekeeper, and Sebastian and Tinette, the servants.

Translations

There have been thirteen English translations of Heidi made between 1882 and 1959 by different translators from Britain and America. As of 2010, only three of these translations, by Louise Brooks, Marian Edwardes, and Eileen Hall, are still being printed today. The introduction to the 1924 English version was written by Adeline Zachert.

Basis for Heidi

In 2010, a Swiss scholar named Peter Otto Büttner found an old book from 1830 written by a German author named Hermann Adam von Kamp. The book is called Adelaide: The Girl from the Alps. This story has many similarities to Heidi, including its plot and images. Spyri's biographer Regine Schindler thinks it’s possible that Spyri knew about this story because she grew up in a home with many books.

Adaptations

Film and television

Many films and TV shows have been made based on the story of Heidi. The story has been very popular, especially in Japan where an animated series became well-known around the world. One of the Japanese animated series was turned into a full-length movie in 1985 for English-speaking audiences.

Some famous versions of Heidi include:

• Heidi, a 1937 movie starring Shirley Temple as Heidi.
• Heidi, a 1952 Swiss film directed by Luigi Comencini.
• Heidi and Peter, a 1955 sequel to the 1952 film.
• Heidi, Girl of the Alps, a 1974 Japanese anime series directed by Isao Takahata.
• Heidi's Song, a 1982 animated movie from Hanna-Barbera.
• The New Adventures of Heidi, a 1978 TV movie.
• Heidi, a 2005 live-action British film.
• Heidi, a 2015 Swiss live-action film.
• Heidi (2024), an upcoming American Christian film.

Theatre

Heidi has also been turned into stage shows. In 2016, a musical version of Heidi premiered in South Africa. In Canada, a different musical version called Heidi of the Mountain has been performed several times since 2007.

Computer games

There are also two computer games based on Heidi for mobile devices. These games, aimed at young children, include educational elements and small games to play. The most recent one is called Heidi: Mountain Adventures.

Heidiland

Heidiland is a famous tourist spot in Switzerland, named after the Heidi books. Many visitors from Japan and Korea come here to enjoy the beautiful scenery. The main village is Maienfeld, and one of the smaller villages was renamed "Heididorf" to honor the story. Heidiland is found in an area known as Bündner Herrschaft.

Sequels

Literary

Between 1933 and 1955, a French company made new books called sequels to Heidi. These books used Johanna Spyri's name, but she did not write them. A man named Charles Tritten wrote most of them based on her stories, and one was written by Nathalie Gala. There were seven books in total, but only two were published in English.

These new stories show Heidi when she is older, married, and has children and grandchildren. There are some differences from the original Heidi story. For example, in the original, Heidi has short, black curly hair as a young girl, but in one of the sequels, she has long, straight, fair hair when she is fourteen.

Film

In 1990, a movie called Courage Mountain was made. It stars Charlie Sheen and Juliette Caton as Heidi. The movie shows Heidi as a teenager during World War I, even though the original story was published in 1881 and Heidi was only five years old in that book.

Reception

Some people have said the book shows characters in very simple, black-and-white ways and paints an idealized picture of life in the countryside. In Japan, since the book was first translated there in 1906, it has greatly shaped how many Japanese people, especially tourists, think about Switzerland, with many visiting a special park called Heidi's Village.