Audiobook · read by volunteers
Heidi
Johanna Spyri (1827–1901)
Read by Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023) · 23 chapters · 9 h 45
About the book
Heidi is five years old when her aunt leads her up the mountain to live with her grandfather, a gruff old man the villagers call the Alm-Uncle. Against all expectations, the child and the old man grow close, and Heidi discovers the joys of the high pastures, the goats, the flowers and the open sky. But then she is taken away to the city of Frankfurt, where she must learn to live within walls and rules, and where she longs for the mountains with all her heart. Johanna Spyri's story of a child's courage and the healing power of nature has been loved around the world. Kara Shallenberg reads the twenty-three chapters in about ten hours.
Introduction
Johanna Spyri (1827-1901) was a Swiss author who wrote many stories for young people. Heidi, which appeared in 1880, with a second part following soon after, became by far her most celebrated work and one of the best-known children's books in the world. It has been translated into dozens of languages and adapted countless times for stage, film and television, and it has done much to shape the popular image of Switzerland and its mountains.
The story contrasts the freedom of the Alpine countryside with the restrictions of city life, and it presents faith, kindness and fresh air as sources of healing. Some modern readers find its religious tone and its optimism old-fashioned, yet its warmth and its descriptions of nature have kept their appeal. The book is also a good example of nineteenth-century writing for children, which often combined entertainment with moral instruction.
The recording follows an English version of the story and has twenty-three chapters, lasting about ten hours. It is read by LibriVox volunteer Kara Shallenberg. It is a good choice for family listening, for long journeys and for anyone who wishes to revisit a childhood favourite, and it makes an enjoyable introduction to a story that has been told in so many forms around the world. Whether you are returning to the story or meeting it for the first time, the descriptions of the mountains and the simple affection between its characters have lost none of their power.
Public domain
Johanna Spyri died in 1901: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text