‘The rays of the May sun sparkled like pure gold...’
Correcting AI transcriptions of Johanna Spyri's only surviving manuscript
With her novel Heidi (1879), Johanna Spyri (1827–1901) created a piece of world literature and became internationally renowned. Her numerous works were published in multiple editions during her lifetime. However, there is no trace of the manuscripts today. Only one has survived. It is a fragment of a previously unpublished 112-page story, the first chapter of which is entitled Ein stilles Haus (A Quiet House). A second short fragment of a few pages may be a variation of the beginning of the same story. The sheets of paper are folded in the middle and written on only in the right-hand column, leaving space on the left for corrections. They offer a unique opportunity to look over the author's shoulder, as it were, during the writing process.
In 2027, we will celebrate the 200th birthday of Johanna Spyri. This is an opportunity to rediscover her. In this anniversary year, the manuscript is to be published as a reading edition. The ZB cordially invites you to participate in the creation of the text basis and to bring to life the story of the little girl Xanderli, the inseparable friends Chim and Max, Max's siblings Wally and Helmi, and the moving fates of Mrs Käthe and the old baron from the archive box.
The campaign is part of the strategic focus on citizen science of the Zentralbibliothek Zürich.
Instructions
This video tutorial provides an introduction to the basics of the transcription tool on e-manuscripta.ch.
This video tutorial provides an introduction to working with the editor in e-manuscripta.ch.
The PDF file ‘Important principles for working with the new editor’ contains important information on editing the raw transcriptions of Johanna Spyri's manuscript, particularly on how to deal with the numerous deletions and corrections.
In the overview of Johanna Spyri's cursive handwriting, you will find examples of the individual letters of her handwriting.
You can access the individual manuscript pages directly at e-manuscripta.ch by clicking on the individual boxes in the progress diagram. The first two pages of the manuscript have already been completed and can be used as samples.
You are invited to begin your transcription corrections at the beginning of each chapter, if possible.
The successful author Johanna Spyri
Contemporary literary critics called her ‘Mrs Gottfried Keller’: Johanna Spyri (1827–1901), born in Hirzel, was the daughter of the pietist poet Meta Heusser-Schweizer and the country doctor Johann Jakob Heusser. After marrying Johann Bernhard Spyri, who later became town clerk, she lived in Zurich, where she was involved in girls' education, among other things. She only established herself as a writer in the second half of her life and published children's and young adult books annually during her most productive literary phase. ‘Heidi’ was published in 1879 and made her world famous.
The Johanna Spyri Archive of the SIKJM (Swiss Institute for Children's and Youth Media) has been part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Register since 2023. It preserves literature and evidence of the author's life and work and contains letters, photographs and family documents as well as the two manuscripts to be transcribed. The handwritten documents have been kept on deposit at the Zurich Central Library since 2011.They have been digitally accessible at e-manuscripta.ch since 2025.
The manuscript fragments of Johanna Spyri
Manuscript 1: A silent house
The manuscript comprises five chapters of a wide-ranging story with intricate narrative strands, the resolution of which is missing as it remains unfinished. The settings shift from Lake Geneva, where the story begins, to Interlaken. Strictly speaking, ‘Ein stilles Haus’ (The silent house) is only the title of the first chapter, but since there is no title for the entire fragment, it is used for the whole work. A second, much shorter fragment of seven pages of text probably belongs to the same story and could be a variation of the beginning (for more on this and the following summary, see Willy Hess 1977).
Chapter 1 (pp. 1–19): ‘A quiet house’
The scene is set on Lake Geneva, at a quiet old country estate overlooking the Savoy Alps. In a conversation between young Lorette and the old housekeeper, the story of the old baron who lives on the estate is recounted. He had intended his three sons to pursue military careers. The youngest wanted to become a painter and left his father, the other two died.
Chapter 2 (pp. 19-34): ‘Mrs Käthe is also travelling’
The scene shifts to Interlaken: Mrs Käthe, the widow of a mountain guide, is travelling with her foster daughter Xanderli to visit Professor Fabrizius' family. They live in a summer cottage in the Bernese Oberland. Mrs Käthe helped furnish it years ago. The professor's children, Helmi, Max and Wally, are friends with Mrs Käthe's son Chim; Max and Chim in particular are inseparable friends.
Chapter 3 (pp. 34–81): ‘In the professor’s family’
Mrs Käthe meets Max and Chim in the professor’s garden. She wants to pick up her son Chim so that he can learn the trade of a dairyman from her brother, even though he would rather follow in his father’s footsteps and become a mountain guide. During their conversation, the story of Xanderli is brought up. She is the daughter of a German painter who once lived with Mrs Käthe with his terminally ill wife. After the death of both parents, Mrs Käthe took Xanderli in. This chapter contains a description of a scene at the family table in which a lady is mentioned who is to come to the professor's family in the Bernese Oberland for health reasons (see manuscript 2).
Chapter 4 (pp. 81-107): [Chim and Xanderli go hiking]
Chim and Xanderli go hiking to celebrate their departure from Interlaken: Chim's passion for the mountains and his dream job are discussed.
Chapter 5 (pp. 107-112): ‘On the day of celebration’
This chapter is incomplete. It takes place on the professor's birthday. Helmi recounts his wanderings and his encounter with the old baron, who he found eerie.
Manuscript 2: Fragment of a narrative
Chapter 1 (pp. 1–7): [On the hill]
In this case, Helmi and his siblings are the children of a pastor's family in Interlaken. The daughter of a friend of the family is to come to the Bernese Oberland to recuperate and at the same time act as a governess for the children. This fragment refers to Chapter 3 (see above).
Progress
Manuscriptfragment 1
| 0 pages to correct (0 %) | |
| 11 pages in progress (9 %) | |
| 109 pages completed (91 %) | |
Ranking
The rankings are updated regularly. Latest Update: May 26, 2026
Username | Number of pages |
de Morsier-Fritz, Claudia | 36 |
Strassmann, Ruth | 18 |
Järvi | 13 |
Bigler, Niklaus | 8 |
Meier, Matthias | 2 |
Nussli, Natalie | 2 |
Baumann, Larissa | 1 |
Falk, Jacqueline | 1 |
Germann, Martin | 1 |
Müller, Erika | 1 |
V.E. | 1 |
| Total | 84 |
In addition, there are submissions from individuals who want to remain anonymous.
Events
Workshop focusing on the Spyri manuscript
On Saturday, 11 April 2026, we hosted a workshop in Seminar Room C of the Zentralbibliothek Zürich to jointly correct the Spyri manuscript. Many thanks to all participants for their efforts!
Edition project for the anniversary year: The first editions of Johanna Spyri
In a new edition project ahead of the 2027 anniversary, the ZB is working with external partners to create a digital edition of the first editions of Johanna Spyri's works. This will bring together all of the Swiss author's stories and novels in one place for the first time. It thus fulfils the most urgent desideratum of Spyri research: to create a reliable text of Spyri's works, which has been lacking until now.
Contact
Do you have any questions or comments about the project? Get in touch with us! We are happy to help.
Header-Bild: © Naomi Wenger / Johanna Spyri-Archiv, SIKJM