Writer Annie Schmidt: biography, list of books, reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Anna Schmidt knew the children well, believed in them and was a child herself at heart. The author of mischievous and kind books for young readers, she glorified her country, where she is called the "queen of children's literature." There is a lot of humor in her stories, it is no coincidence that the Dutch writer is called the most witty grandmother in the world. In this article, you will get acquainted with the biography of Annie Schmidt, her books and reader reviews.

Childhood of a writer

Dutch writer Anna Maria Gertrude Schmidt was born in 1911 in a small Dutch village. The father, a reformed church pastor, did not impose his beliefs on the children. Being an enlightened man, he read a lot. He instilled a love of reading in his children. There was no electricity or radio in the village, and Annie grew up on books. Andersen's fairy tales became her first favorite works, she saw their immeasurable significance, they became for her a measure of human values.

I began to write as a child, and my mother sent poemsdaughter of the famous poet V. Klos. In a response letter, he noted Annie's literary talent. Schmidt graduated from school in Goes, studied law in The Hague. Then her parents sent her to relatives in Germany, where Annie studied home economics. When the Nazis came to power, she returned home and graduated from librarian courses. At first, the work seemed boring to her, but soon she was carried away, and a few years later she became the director of one of the largest libraries.

First verses

The first poems by Annie Schmidt appeared in the Christian magazine Path in 1938. During the Nazi occupation, Annie wrote a lot. Poems were published in the children's section of the underground newspaper and became a breath of fresh air for the writer in these difficult years. After the war, she worked in the newspaper Het Parool, where her works were also published, and in 1950 the first collection of poetry, The Kettle with a Whistle, was published.

The tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it

Schmidt's original style and sense of humor could not fail to attract the attention of readers, and very soon the name of the writer became famous. By the end of the 1950s, she had become the most popular author in the Netherlands. Her books, where reality coexisted peacefully with fantasy, were devoid of the edification that is inherent in children's books. The original style, simplicity, subtle humor did their job - Schmidt literally broke into the lives of young readers with her mischievous and funny stories.

In the fairy tales of Annie Schmidt, children and cute animals live peacefully, boring and prim adults inhabit. Despite the most fantastic situations, in fairy tales - nolick words. At least, young readers often recognize their relatives and relatives with their weaknesses and quirks on the pages of books, meet friends and acquaintances. Despite the fact that the hens here lay colored eggs, the pond is filled with sparkling water, and the horse plays the violin. All her stories are optimistic and bright, where truth and fiction are combined.

Queen of children's books

Now there is not a single child in the Netherlands who does not know the name of the writer and does not recite her poems by heart. In Amsterdam there is a school named after her, Annie Schmidt became the owner of all the important awards of her country. Her name is put next to Tove Janson and Astrid Lindgren, who presented her with the Andersen medal in 1988. The whole country celebrated the 80th anniversary of Annie Schmidt as a national holiday. It so happened that Russian-speaking readers first heard about her books in 1993. October 10 of this year was declared Annie Schmidt Day all over the world and more than two hundred theaters around the world staged a play based on her script, “Lady Bock.”

Collection of fairy tales

The first to appear was Annie Schmidt's collection of fairy tales, Witches and Everything (1964). The author reworked the fairy tales known to many in an original way, only the witches drive around in her car, the queen in the fairy tale "Speck" hatches a thrush egg, from which a little princess is born. To prevent people from laughing at the queen, the king builds a tall fence around the tree. In The Diaper with a Crown, the stork carries the child to the duke himself. Old Frederike has been delivering children for many years, but accidentallylost a baby, and he ended up in the house of a simple baker.

The story "Freshly Frozen Ladies" tells about a hairdresser who finds himself in a frozen country, where he falls in love with an icy beauty and saves her from the incredible cold, but cannot save her from the heat. In the same book, there is a story about Mrs. Bok, an untidy, strange old woman, in whose tousled hair a dove made a nest. In a soiled board, she rides around on an old jalopy, but she knows how to fend for herself and turn the burgomaster into a mouse.

Books by Annie Schmidt

In Pluck from Petterflat (1971), the author introduces readers to a mischievous boy who lives in the turret of a tall house, rides a crane, is always in a hurry to help his friends and cannot live a day without adventure.

In the story "Murli", published in 1970, readers are waiting for an incredible transformation. The red cat becomes a girl with a shock of fiery red hair, but at the same time she has not lost her cat habits. Seeing the dog, she instantly flew up a tall tree, got into an uninvited evening, walked at night on the roofs and tried to catch fish from the aquarium. Murli understands cat language and, becoming an assistant to the animal journalist Tibbe, glorified his name, punished the factory director and did not return to cat life.

Sasha and Masha is a series of funny books about Yip and Janek published from 1953 to 1957. Sasha and Masha Annie Schmidt live in Holland and, translated into Russian, their names have been changed. What difference does it make, because all the children in the world are the same tomboys. A wonderful series of5 books, in each of which funny stories await readers. Light, lively, mischievous and instructive stories about children. The stories are short and written in simple language, great reading for toddlers aged 3-5 and for kids who are learning or just learning to read.

In the book "Viplala" (1957), readers will meet an unlucky dwarf, from whom only trouble in the family - no matter what he does, everything is wrong. The kids did not want to part with him so much that the author had to succumb to their persuasion and in 1962 publish the continuation of this fabulous story.

"Oshenka" (1980) - a story about a girl whose father lost all documents. A completely obedient citizen, not an emigrant, and not some dubious element there. Oshenka perceives this as another adventure and helps dad cope with difficulties. Everything would be fine, but dad, when faced with injustice, falls into righteous anger. Then - beware! Oshenka's dad is a talented cook. And a fish dish for several people, flying into the wall, is still a harmless reaction. At such moments, he is not able to think adequately, and Oshenka is the only one who will calm him down. Who knows what would have turned out if not for Oshen's friends. And she has a lot of them - Drozd Zvik with his family, Betsy the cat, Louis the mouse, Syrnik the raven, Tyuk the sparrow.

"Dirty" (1971) - a book about a girl who knew how to get dirty better than anyone. Everyone called her that, but she was not upset, and even a little proud. With their faithful dog Chumazik, they are always ready for adventure.

Literaryactivities

The work of Annie Schmidt is not limited to children's books, she led columns in printed publications, wrote texts for films and radio series, musicals, songs for the cabaret De Inktvis and plays. In 1965, according to her script, the first Dutch musical Heerlijk was staged, which went on stage 534 times. The music for it was written by G. Bannik. In collaboration with him, from 1966 to 1968, the legendary television series Yes, Sister was created. From 1971 to 1981, the musicals "Now Sleep", "What a Planet", "Foxtrot", "Madame". From 1975 to 1977, the 12-episode series Pleisterkade was filmed, which was a great success.

Private life

In 1951, Annie Schmidt and chemist Dick Van Duijn began a relationship. In 1954 they got married. They lived in Le Rule and Berkel-en-Rodenreys. But most of all she loved Amsterdam and moved here after the death of her husband in 1982. In 1991, after a poorly received play, she stopped writing. She was almost blind, and as a result of a bad fall in 1994, she suffered hip injuries. She underwent surgery, but she decided to take life into her own hands and agreed with the doctor about euthanasia. She asked G. Bannik, with whom they collaborated for a long time, to compose music for her funeral. She passed away on May 21, 1995. Her son Flip and grandchildren live in Holland, and most importantly, the books of the writer Annie Schmidt.

Reviews from readers

The books of Annie Schmidt are filled with life situations. Incredibly dynamic stories that are a pleasure to read. Annie ReadersSchmidt writes in reviews, despite the fact that the works raise sometimes complex adult topics, they are optimistic and life-affirming. For example, "Oshenka" is a book about how a person without documents becomes a suspicious person, even if he is a very kind and law-abiding citizen. Sad things, but from the pen of Annie Schmidt came out not a pessimistic story. This is a book about self-control, self-respect, and a single father.

Annie Schmidt has bright, unusual plots and characters. Lovely, unobtrusive, filled with a sense of justice, works that are interesting to children, because in many heroes they recognize themselves and find themselves in similar situations. Fascinating and magical stories, and realistic about children's pranks and pranks. The most important thing is that books are for everyone. They help parents understand and forgive their kids, even when you want to stomp your feet, children are taught friendship, obedience, responsibility for their actions and kindness.