Heidi is a Swiss work of fiction, published in two parts as (1) Heidi's years of learning and travel (German: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and (2) Heidi makes use of what she has learned. (German: Heidi kann brauchen, was sie gelernt hat)^[1] It 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) in 1880 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri.

The Heidi book is among the best-known works of Swiss literature.^[2][3]

Plot summary [link]

Aunt Dete hurrying away after leaving Heidi with the Alm-Öhi.

Adelheid (familiarly known as 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 brings 5-year-old Heidi to her grandfather, who has been at odds with the villagers for years and lives in seclusion on the alm. This has earned him the nickname Alp-Öhi ("Alm Uncle"^[4] in the Graubünden dialect). He at first resents Heidi's arrival, but the girl manages to penetrate his harsh exterior and Heidi subsequently has a delightful stay with him and her best friend, young Peter the goat-herd.

Dete returns three years later to bring Heidi to Frankfurt as a companion of a 12-year-old girl named Klara Sesemann, who is regarded as an invalid. Heidi spends a year with Klara, conflicting with the Sesemanns' strict housekeeper Fraulein Rottenmeier and becoming more and more homesick. Her one diversion is learning to read and write, motivated by her desire to go home and read to Peter's blind grandmother. Heidi's increasingly failing health, and several instances of sleepwalking that cause hysteria in the household that there is a haunting, prompt Klara's doctor to send Heidi home to her grandfather. Her return prompts the grandfather to descend to the village for the first time in years, marking an end to his seclusion.

Heidi and Klara continue to contact each other. A visit by the doctor to Heidi and her grandfather convinces him to recommend Klara to visit Heidi. Meanwhile, Heidi teaches Peter to read and write. Klara makes the journey the next season and spends a wonderful summer with Heidi. Klara becomes stronger on goat's milk and fresh mountain air, but Peter, feeling deprived of Heidi's attention, pushes Klara's wheelchair down the mountain to its destruction. Without her wheelchair, Klara attempts to walk and is gradually successful. Klara's grandmother and father are amazed and overcome with joy to see Klara walking. Klara's wealthy family promises to provide a shelter for Heidi, in case her grandfather will no longer be able to do so.

Film, television and theatrical adaptations [link]

About 20 film or television productions of the original story have been made. The Heidi films were popular far and wide, becoming a huge hit and an iconic animated series in several countries around the world. The only incarnation of the Japanese-produced animated TV series to reach the English language was a dubbed feature-length compilation movie using the most pivotal episodes of the television series, released on video in the United States in 1985. Although the original book describes Heidi as having dark, curly hair, she is usually portrayed as a blonde.

Versions of the story include:

• Heidi, a 1937 motion picture which starred Shirley Temple in the title role.
• Heidi, a 1952 SwedenSwiss film version in Swiss German and German, directed by Luigi Comencini, starring Elsbeth Sigmund (filmed on location in Switzerland), and followed by a sequel, Heidi and Peter, in 1955, directed by Franz Schnyder, also starring Ms. Sigmund.
• Heidi (1959), music by Clay Warnick, adapted by William Friedberg with Neil Simon.
• Heidi, a 1968 television movie which starred Jennifer Edwards with Maximillian Schell and Michael Redgrave. Infamous for interrupting an American football game that was broadcast the same day.
• Heidi, Girl of the Alps, a 1974 Japanese anime series directed by Isao Takahata for Zuiyo Eizo (later, Nippon Animation), dubbed into various languages. Compiled into an English-dubbed movie entitled The Story of Heidi.
• Heidi, a 1974 BBC adaptation starring Emma Blake.
• Heidi, a 1978 26-episode Swiss/German television series, starring Katia Polletin as the young heroine, which was dubbed into various languages, including English.
• Heidi's Song, a 1982 animated film produced by Hanna-Barbera.
• Heidi, a two-part television miniseries from 1993, starring Noley Thornton as Heidi. Co-stars included Jane Seymour as Miss Rottenmeier, Jason Robards as Grandfather and Lexi Randall as Clara.
• Heidi, a 1996 animated film.
• Heidi, a 2005 animated film.
• Heidi, a 2005 live action film directed by Paul Marcus.
• Heidi 4 Paws, a comedic 2008 adaptation featuring talking dogs with the voice of Angela Lansbury.

Heidiland [link]

Maienfeld, the main town in Heidiland

Heidiland, named after the Heidi books, is an important tourist area in Switzerland, popular especially with the Japanese.^[5] Maienfeld is the center of what is called Heidiland; one of the villages, formerly called Oberrofels,^[6] is actually renamed "Heididorf."^[7] Heidiland is located in an area called Bündner Herrschaft; it is criticized as being a "laughable, infantile cliche"^[5] and "a more vivid example of hyperreality."^[8]

Sequels [link]

The two sequel books, Heidi Grows Up and Heidi's Children, were neither written nor endorsed by Spyri, but were adapted from other works by her English translator, Charles Tritten, many years after she died.

There are some major differences between the original Heidi and the Tritten sequels. These include;

• Heidi, the original story by Spyri, shows the simple life of Heidi imbued with a deep love of children and childhood. Spyri mentioned that the work was "for children and those who love children". The sequels portray Heidi in a different manner, as she grows up and gets married.
• Heidi in the first book, Heidi, is described as having, "short, black curly hair", when she is around five to eight years of age. In Heidi Grows Up, when she is fourteen, her hair is long, straight and fair.
• In some English editions of Heidi the names of the goats are translated into English (Little Swan and Little Bear), while other editions use their original Swiss-German names, Schwanli and Baerli. In Heidi Grows Up only the names Schwanli and Baerli are used.

Basis for Heidi [link]

In April 2010, a Swiss professorial candidate, Peter Buettner, uncovered a book written in 1830 by the German author Hermann Adam von Kamp. The 1830 story is titled "Adelaid: The Girl from the Alps" (German: Adelaide, das Mädchen vom Alpengebirge). The two stories share many similarities in plot line and imagery.^[9] Spyri biographer Regine Schindler said it was entirely possible that Spyri may have been familiar with the story as she grew up in a literate household with many books.

See also [link]

Novels portal

• 2521 Heidi (an asteroid named after Heidi)

Footnotes [link]

External links [link]

Heidi on a CHF 50 Swiss commemorative coin, 2001.

• Heidi at Project Gutenberg
• Heidi at Project Gutenberg (illustrated)
• Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre at Project Gutenberg (in German)
• Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre Original Audiobook by Johanna Spyri^{[dead link]}
• Heidi, online at Ye Olde Library
• Heidi, human-read audio mp3 and m4b files at Free Classic Audio Books
• Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre, human read audio book in German at Librivox
• Heidi, English audio book at Librivox
• Heidi (in English) free downloads in multiple ebook formats
• Heidi's Land, The official Web site (in French) for the 1980s television show with Katia Polletin (Heidi) and Stefan Arpagaus (Peter)
• Remembering Heidi: Swiss Pride at its best, by Dr. Anton Anderssen
• Swiss Heidi may in fact be German, [2]