About Johanna Spyri
Johanna Spyri (1827–1901) was an author of children’s stories, and is best known for Heidi. She was born Johanna Louise Heusser in the rural area of Hirzel, Switzerland in 1827. As a child she spent several summers in the area around Chur in Graubünden, where she would later set Heidi. She married in 1852, and her first story was published in 1871.