Otto Sutermeister

Friedrich Gottlieb Otto Sutermeister (27 September 1832 in Tegerfelden – 18 August 1901 in Aarau) was a Swiss folklorist and professor at the University of Berne who collected and revised numerous folk tales, legends, fables, and proverbs.^[1]

Strongly influenced by the Brothers Grimm, Sutermeister emphasized the didactic aspect of Swiss folklore and rewrote many of the tales to suit young readers.^[1] He also was editor of the works of Jeremias Gotthelf and of the "Swiss Idioticon".

Otto Sutermeister was a friend of the German poet Friedrich Rückert, the father of Werner Sutermeister and the grandfather of Heinrich 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