Schellenursli author dies aged 89

Selina Chönz - author of the popular children's book, Schellenursli - has died at the age of 89, in Samedan, in canton Graubünden. Chönz wrote in Switzerland's fourth national language, Romansch, which is only spoken by about 40,000 people.

Selina Chönz – author of the popular children’s book, Schellenursli – has died at the age of 89, in Samedan, in canton Graubünden. Chönz wrote in Switzerland’s fourth national language, Romansch, which is only spoken by about 40,000 people.

Chönz’s children’s books have been translated into many languages and sold worldwide, from Switzerland to South Africa and Japan. Her works were illustrated by Alois Carigiet, who died in 1985.

Chönz was born in Samedan, in the Engadine valley in south-eastern Switzerland, in 1910. She did language courses in Lausanne and at Oxford, in Britain, before qualifying as a kindergarten teacher. She later worked at a kindergarten training college in Zurich, and returned to live in the Engadine in 1939.

Her books are set in the valley, best known for the exclusive resort of St Moritz, and are illustrated with scenes depicting the unique architecture of the area.

From staff and wire reports