Olga Meyer

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Olga Meyer as a young teacher

Olga Meyer (born April 30, 1889 in Zurich ; † January 19, 1972 there ) was a Swiss writer . She is one of the most successful young adult authors of the 20th century in Switzerland.

Life

Olga with her siblings

Olga Meyer-Blumenfeld was the daughter of the Zurich postman Johann Emil Meier and Anna Barbara geb. Lüssi. She grew up with her younger siblings - a sister and a brother - in Zurich on Zeltweg, very close to Johanna Spyri , whom she sometimes met and whose books she read.

After secondary school in the Ilgen schoolhouse, Olga Meyer attended the teachers' seminar at the Grossmünster . She played the piano and loved to dance, and often at the Semmler-Rincke dance school on Rämistrasse . After graduating as a teacher, she was sent to an eighth grade with 84 students in Windlach in the Zürcher Unterland as a substitute , but after one week she received a grade from 4th to 6th. Graders.

Olga Meyer got her first permanent job in Horgen in the Rotweg schoolhouse, where she taught an eighth grade. From 1908 to 1912 she then taught lower school children at a multi-class school in Horgenberg.

Schoolhouse Horgenberg before 1917

After she had successfully told her students about her mother's childhood experiences in the village of Turbenthal in the Tösstal , Olga Meyer recorded these memories in writing so that they could be better used in class. Her colleague Robert Suter took the pages without her knowledge and in 1918 the Association of School Librarians of the City of Zurich published Olga Meyer's first book for young people, Anneli, Experiences of a Little Country Girl . It was supposed to be included in school libraries in the form of class series that a teacher could order. The drawings for this came from the young Hans Witzig, who also illustrated the following Anneli books. In 1919 the book was taken over by the Rascher publishing house. It was also a great success in Germany. Criticism came only from Otto von Greyerz , who described the book as "unsuccessful"; the author “lacks any knowledge of what makes a good book for young people”.

As further episodes of the trilogy, Anneli fights for sun and freedom appeared in 1927 and Anneli at the goal and at the beginning in 1934 . In Wila, a fountain in the playground of the secondary school is reminiscent of her figure of Sabinli .

Olga Meyer found the themes for her stories through encounters with children, through letters, on hikes and "the urge to hold up a mirror to the youth by means of a story and to set up models, because young people need something to strive for."

In addition to her work as a writer, Olga Meyer also worked as a journalist and wrote for the Schweizerische Lehrerinnen-Zeitung from 1938 to 1945 . On the radio she told stories for the children's lessons and wrote radio plays ; Among other things, an arrangement by Johanna Spyris Heidi with Heinrich Gretler as Alpöhi in the sixties . She also gave lectures on issues relating to education and books for young people.

Olga Meyer remained active as a writer until her death in 1972. Her grave, which has since been lifted, was in the Rehalp cemetery in Zurich. Her Anneli trilogy enjoyed decades of attention . Olga Meyer is considered to be the creator of the first little reading book in Swiss schools. She was married to the doctor David Blumenfeld since 1929. Her estate is in the Zurich City Archives.

Awards

estate

Writings and objects from Olga Meyer's estate are kept in the Zurich City Archives and the Turbenthal local museum .

  • The Hanoggeli, a character from one of her novels.

  • A coffee warmer from Olga Meyer's estate.

  • Writer's necklace pendant.

Works (selection)

  • Anneli. Experiences of a little country girl. Rascher, Zurich 1919.
  • The little mock. From the life of a city boy. Zurich, 1925.
  • Anneli fights for sun and freedom. Zurich, 1927.
  • Katrinchens rabbit slipper: a story for the little ones. Schweizerisches Jugendschriftenwerk , Zurich 1932.
  • Anneli at the goal and at the beginning. Zurich 1934.
  • Brave and loyal. From the life of Hans Mötteli. A story for boys and girls. Sauerländer, Aarau 1942.
  • The lost letter. A story from our day. Aarau, 1945.
  • Sabinli. A story from the Tösstal. Aarau 1950.
  • In the Weiherhaus, a frog story. With ten color pictures by Michael Rudolf Wening . Rascher & Cie. Publishing house, Zurich 1954
  • Shackles broken. 1962.
  • Käthi from the block. Aarau 1967.
  • Olga Meyer talks about her life. Aarau 1968.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ernst Jörg: Horgenberg. In: Horgner Jahrheft , Horgen 1983
  2. ^ Wila municipality
  3. ↑ Swiss Institute for Children's and Youth Media  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.sikjm.ch  
  4. ↑ Zürcher Illustrierte 1938: Anneli trilogy. Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Meyer, Olga
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss writer and journalist
DATE OF BIRTH April 30, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Zurich
DATE OF DEATH January 19, 1972
Place of death Zurich