Death: 7th July 1901Location: Sihlfeld Cemetery, Zürich, Switzerland
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Swiss children’s author, best remembered for Heidi. She was born Johanna Louise Heusser in rural Switzerland. She married Bernhard Spyri, a lawyer, in 1852 and while living in Zürich she started to write about life in the country. The story of Heidi was an instant success and although she had written other books and continued to write until her death the enduring popularity of Heidi overshadows her other work. It is the story of an orphan who lives with her grandfather in the Alps and is famous for its portrayal of how children cope with the basic issues of life such as sickness and poverty. Johanna’s husband and only son both died in 1884 and she devoted the rest of her life to charitable causes and writing. She is an icon in Switzerland, and her portrait has appeared on both stamps and coins.
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