Friedrich Gottlieb Otto Sutermeister (27 September 1832 in

Tegerfelden Tegerfelden is a municipality in the district of Zurzach in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. Geography Located in the Surb river valley, Tegerfelden has an area, , of . Of this area, or 51.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while ...

– 18 August 1901 in Aarau) was a Swiss folklorist and professor at the

University of Berne The University of Bern (german: Universität Bern, french: Université de Berne, la, Universitas Bernensis) 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 comp ...

who collected and revised numerous folk tales,

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

fable Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that illustrat ...

s, and

proverb A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbia ...

s."Otto Sutermeister." ''The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales''
Oxford University Press, 2000, 2002, 2005 Strongly influenced by the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

, Sutermeister emphasized the didactic aspect of

Swiss folklore Swiss folklore describes a collection of local stories, celebrations, and customs of the alpine and sub-alpine peoples that occupy Switzerland. The country of Switzerland is made up of several distinct cultures including German, French, Italian, a ...

and rewrote many of the tales to suit young readers. He also was editor of the works of

Jeremias Gotthelf Albert Bitzius (4 October 179722 October 1854) was a Swiss novelist; best known by his pen name of Jeremias Gotthelf. Biography Bitzius was born at Murten, where his father was pastor. The Bitzius family had once belonged to the Bernese patrici ...

and of the " Swiss Idioticon". Otto Sutermeister was a friend of the German poet

Friedrich Rückert Friedrich Rückert (16 May 1788 – 31 January 1866) was a German poet, translator, and professor of Oriental languages. Biography Rückert was born in Schweinfurt and was the eldest son of a lawyer. He was educated at the local '' Gymnasium'' ...

, the father of Werner Sutermeister and the grandfather of

Heinrich Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...

and Hans Martin Sutermeister.

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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutermeister, Otto 1832 births 1901 deaths People from Zurzach District Swiss writers in German Swiss male novelists Academic staff of the University of Bern Swiss folklorists 19th-century Swiss novelists 19th-century male writers