Johann David Wyss (; 28 May 1743 – 11 January 1818) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

author, best remembered for his book ''

The Swiss Family Robinson ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'') is a novel by Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Australia, goes off course and is shipwreck ...

'' (''Der schweizerische Robinson'') (1812). He was born and died in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

. It is said that he was inspired by

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its ...

's ''

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' () is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a tra ...

'', but wanted to write a story from which his own children would learn, as the father in the story taught important lessons to his children. ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' was first published in German in 1812, then translated into English two years later. It has since become one of the most popular books of all time. The book was edited by his son, Johann Rudolf Wyss, a scholar known for writing the Swiss

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...

, ''

Rufst du, mein Vaterland "Rufst du, mein Vaterland?" (; "Call'st thou, my Fatherland?") is the former national anthem of Switzerland. It had the status of ''de facto'' national anthem from the formation of Switzerland as a federal state in the 1840s, until 1961, when it ...

''. Another of Wyss's sons, Johann Emmanuel Wyss, illustrated the book. Johann David Wyss outlived his son Johann Rudolf, who had died at the age of 48, dying in 1818 at the age of 74. Wyss has been described as an author whose style was "firmly Christian and moral in tone".Dinah Birch, Katy Hooper. "The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature". Oxford University Press. p. 696. There are also many underlying tones of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

throughout the book, particularly in regards to many of the characters and their moral philosophies.

Influence

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

reportedly declared that ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' was one of his favorite books, so much so that he was inspired to write a sequel, ''

The Castaways of the Flag ''The Castaways of the Flag'' (french: Seconde patrie, lit. ''Second Fatherland'', 1900) is an adventure novel written by Jules Verne. The two volumes of the novel were initially published in English translation as two separate volumes: ''Their I ...

'' (1900), nearly a century after Wyss's death.

Notes

External links

* * * * 1743 births 1818 deaths Swiss male novelists Swiss children's writers Writers from Bern 19th-century Swiss novelists Swiss Christians 19th-century male writers Johann David Maritime writers {{Switzerland-writer-stub