Ida Ospelt-Amann (15 February 1899 – 12 March 1996) was a Liechtensteiner poet who wrote in the
Alemannic dialect that is spoken in the
Vaduz region. She was considered the most important of her country's dialect poets. Her works deal primarily with rural life, as well as with her home town of Vaduz, and its change over time.
Biography
Ida Amann was born in February 1899 to Franz Amann and his wife Elisabeth (née Burtscher). From 1905 to 1911 she attended elementary school and from 1911 to 1913 secondary school. After having finished school, she went abroad, where she worked in the resorts of
Arosa,
Portorož and
St. Moritz.
Ospelt-Amann wrote her entire corpus of poetry in the Vaduz dialect. Over the years, she gained a certain amount of public notoriety.
[Monz, Martin Michael]
"Sprache und Kultur eines Zwergstaaten: Fürstentum Liechtenstein."
(Thesis, 2017). From 1960 to 1970 she was President of the
Vaduz Women's Association.
In 1965 she published her first volume of poetry'', S'Loob-Bett'', which was illustrated by
Eugen Verling. This was followed in 1975 by a second book, ''S'ischt Suusersunntig''. She also held readings and appeared on the radio. In 1984, to celebrate her 85th birthday, the book ''Di aaltaräder'' was published. In 1991 she issued a cassette tape, featuring texts and poems recorded in the Vaduz dialect. One example of her work is the poem, ''D Alpfaart'', described successful mountaineering. Much of the tone of her writing is nostalgic. In addition to her poetry, Ospelt-Amann also collected proverbs and sayings from her dialect for the
Liechtenstein National Museum.
Ospelt-Amann died on 12 March 1996. She had a total of six children, two sons and four daughters, including the politicians
Hilmar Ospelt (
de) and Werner Ospelt.
Her grandsons include the artist Mathias Ospelt, and the poet Markus Meier.
Recognition
For her services to preserving the Vaduz dialect, she received the
Golden Cross of Merit and honorary citizenship from Vaduz.
Legacy
According to the
Liechtenstein State Library, Ospelt-Amann was a pioneer for the revival of dialect poetry in Liechtenstein. She was an Honorary Member of the Liechtenstein Dialect Foundation.
Publications
* 1965 ''S’Loob-Bett''
* 1975 ''S’ischt Suusersunntig''
* 1984 ''Di aalta Räder
''
* (edited collection) Dittmar, Jens, ed. ''Lyrik aus Liechtenstein: von Heinrich von Frauenberg bis heute''. Liechtenstein, 2005.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ospelt-Amann, Ida
1899 births
1996 deaths
Liechtenstein writers
Liechtenstein women writers
Women poets
Alemannic German language
People from Vaduz
Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein