Otto Sutermeister
Encyclopedia
Tegerfelden
Tegerfelden is a municipality in the district of Zurzach in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Tegerfelden has an area, , of . Of this area, or 51.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 37.0% is forested...
– 18 August 1901 in Aarau
Aarau
Aarau is the capital of the northern Swiss canton of Aargau. The city is also the capital of the district of Aarau. It is German-speaking and predominantly Protestant. Aarau is situated on the Swiss plateau, in the valley of the Aar, on the river's right bank, and at the southern foot of the Jura...
) was a Swiss folklorist and professor at the University of Berne
University of Berne
The University of Bern is a university in the Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a broad choice of courses and programmes in eight faculties and some 160 institutes. The university is an...
who collected and revised numerous folk tales, legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s, fable
Fable
A fable is a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized , and that illustrates a moral lesson , which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.A fable differs from...
s, and proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
s.
Strongly influenced by the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
, Sutermeister emphasized the didactic aspect of Swiss folklore and rewrote many of the tales to suit young readers. He also was editor of the works of Jeremias Gotthelf
Jeremias Gotthelf
Albert Bitzius , Swiss novelist, best known by his pen name of Jeremias Gotthelf, was born at Murten, where his father was pastor.In 1804 the home was moved to Utzenstorf, a village in the Bernese Emmental...
and of the "Swiss Idioticon".
Otto Sutermeister was a friend of the German poet Friedrich Rückert
Friedrich Rückert
Friedrich Rückert was a German poet, translator, and professor of Oriental languages.-Biography:Rückert was born at Schweinfurt and was the eldest son of a lawyer. He was educated at the local Gymnasium and at the universities of Würzburg and Heidelberg. From 1816-1817, he worked on the editorial...
, the father of Werner Sutermeister
Werner Sutermeister
Werner Sutermeister is a Swiss writer well known for his spoonerisms. He was the son of Otto Sutermeister.-External links:...
and the grandfather of Heinrich
Heinrich Sutermeister
Heinrich Sutermeister was a Swiss opera composer.-Life and career:During the early 1930s he was a student at the Akademie der Tonkunst in Munich where Carl Orff was his teacher and Orff remained a powerful influence on his music. Returning to Switzerland in the mid 1930s, he devoted his life to...
and Hans Martin Sutermeister
Hans Martin Sutermeister
Hans Martin Sutermeister was a Swiss physician and medical writer, politician, and activist against miscarriages of justice.-Early years:...
.
Works
His major works are:- "Frisch und Fromm: Erzählungen, Märchen, Fabeln, Schwänke für die Jugend" ("Fresh and Pious: Stories, Fairy Tales, Fables, and Anecdotes for the Young"), 1863;
- "Kinder‐ und Hausmärchen" ("Children's and Household Tales"), 1869;
- "Kornblumen: Fabeln und Märchen" ("Cornflowers: Fables and Fairy Tales"), 1870.