Jakob Streit (23 September 1910 in Spiez, Switzerland – 15 May 2009 in Spiez) was a Swiss author, teacher and anthroposophist. Besides this he worked as musician and choirmaster as well as conductor and dramaturg
Jakob Streit was born in the Berner Oberland in Switzerland, the son of a watchmaker, and lived there for most of his life. He had four brothers and sisters and everyone helped to tend the family beehives, their cow and calf and their sheep.
He studied Education at the teacher training college in Bern, where his skills in Music, Education and Literature were honed. His musical education he completed with Hans Klee, the father of artist Paul Klee, then began on a career as teacher of different age groups, in the course of which the many stories he told to the children were published as children's stories in over forty books. Many of these are translated into English and other languages. His educational method, and particularly his music instruction drew heavily on the indications of Rudolf Steiner on Waldorf education.
“When one has told stories to different age groups of children for 45 years on a daily basis, one learns a great deal from them, one is carried on the wings of Poetry, of the imagination. In later years, this interest grows into everything that is truly human. For example, this is how I came to write my first book about gnomes: A girl in the third grade brought a beautiful Edelweiss to my desk one morning, saying: “My father gave it to me and told me that, if you can tell us how the Edelweiss came about, you can keep it.” Quickly the children all sat down at their desks, for in their eyes the teacher of the third grade is capable of anything at all. Forty pairs of eyes are looking expectantly at you. (…) I began thoughtfully; soon there were gnomes and elves in the picture, finding magic ways to transform the stars of the night into the Edelweiss. Carried by the astonished eyes of the children, my story must have gone on for about 20 minutes. When the Edelweiss had finally been created, a little boy stood up and proclaimed: “Tomorrow you must deal with the Gentian.” In this manner, from day to day, we found our way through the different flowers of the mountains. I was not able to prepare at all. I needed the children to be there. Afterwards I wrote down the stories that had come about. They have been published as “Bergblumen Märchen” today with the publisher Oratio Verlag in Schaffhausen.”
After producing plays with children, he broadened his interest to amateur theatre direction, in the course of which he inaugurated the William Tell festival plays in Interlaken and the Spiez Castle Plays. Having studied Piano and Organ, his work as choir conductor led him to produce a succession of operas, amongst others The Magic Flute and Orpheus and Euridice.
Questions of Art, Art History and culture occupied him all his life and after his retirement he began to lecture in most of Europe besides increasing the scope of his literary work. For many years he was editor of the AVS-Mitteilungen, the newssheet of the Anthroposophische Vereinigung in der Schweiz, continuing with this until his death at 99 years of age.
Books for Children and Young People
And There Was Light – From the Creation of the World to Noah's Ark Jakob Streit; Translated by Ekkehard Piening AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 2006 ISBN 9781888365740Brother Francis – The Life of Francis of Assisi Jakob Streit, AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 2013 ISBN 9781936367405Geron and Virtus – A Fateful Encounter of Two Youths: A German and a Roman, Jakob Streit; Translated by Nina Kuettel AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 2006 ISBN 9781888365702Invisible Guardians – True Stories of Fateful Encounters Jakob Streit; Translated by Nina Kuettel AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 2011 ISBN 9781936367177Journey to the Promised Land – The Path of the People of Israel from Abraham's Calling to David's Dream Jakob Streit; Translated by Donald Samson AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 1999 ISBN 9781888365238Liputto – Stories of Gnomes and Trolls Jakob Streit; Translated by Nina J. Kuettel AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 1999 ISBN 9781888365269Little Bee Sunbeam Jakob Streit; Translated by Nina Kuettel AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 2010 ISBN 9781888365986Milon and the Lion Jakob Streit; Translated by Wolfgang Forsthofer and Auriol de Smidt. Floris Books 2011 ISBN 978-0-86315-841-4Puck the Gnome Jakob Streit; Translated by Nina Kuettel AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 2004 ISBN 9781888365542The Star Rider and Anna McLoon – Two Tales from Ireland Jakob Streit; Translated by Nina Kuettel AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 2010 ISBN 9781888365955We Will Build a Temple – The Path of Israel from King Solomon to John the Baptist Jakob Streit; Translated by Donald Samson AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 2004 ISBN 9781888365559What Animals Say to Each Other – 30 Nature Fables in Rhyme Jakob Streit; Kilian Beck AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 2013 SBN 9781936367238The Bee Book Jakob Streit AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 2010 ISBN 9781936367009Three Knight Tales Jakob Streit; Translated by Nina Kuettel AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) 2012 ISBN 9781936367245Little Gnome Tenderroot by Jakob Streit, illustrated by Georges Feldmann and translated by Nina Keuttel. Waldorf Publications; 27 January 2014. ISBN 978-1936367061Beatuslegenden. Troxler, Bern 1940Kindheitslegenden. Troxler, Bern 1941Tiergeschichten. Atlantis, Zürich 1941Dreikönigsbuch. Troxler, Bern 1951Bergblumenmärchen. Atlantis, Zürich 1954Kleine Schöpfungsgeschichte. Novalis, Freiburg im Breisgau 1956Die Söhne Kains. Novalis, Freiburg im Breisgau 1959Die schöne Magelone. Schweizerisches Jugendschriftenwerk (SJW), Zürich 1960Von Zwergen und Wildmannli. SJW, Zürich 1965Rösli von Stechelberg. SJW, Zürich 1968Beatus, ein irischer Glaubensbote. SJW, Zürich 1968Ich will dein Bruder sein. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1979Der erste Weihnachtsbaum. Erzählungen. Novalis, Freiburg im Breisgau 1983Ziehet hin ins gelobte Land. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1983Tatatucks Reise. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1984Louis Braille. Ein blinder Junge erfindet die Blindenschrift. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1987Geschichten vom Schenken und Helfen des Sankt Nikolaus. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1989Miriam zu Betlehem. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1989Ich will dein Bruder sein. Legende. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1989Die Zauberflöte. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1991Zwerg Wurzelfein. Urachhaus, Stuttgart 1992Die Geschichte der zwei Jesusknaben. Die Pforte, Basel 1992Im Rosenhaus. Urachhaus, Stuttgart 1992Ajuk und die Eisbären. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1993Das Osterlamm. Legende. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1993Nagick, das Eichhörnchen. AT, Aarau 1993Puck und der Regenbogen. Drei Zwerge besuchen das Menschenreich. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1996Odilie. Botin des Lichts. Freies Geistesleben, Stuttgart 1997Columban. Ein Kämpfer für das irische Christentum. Urachhaus, Stuttgart 2002Königskind und Hirtenkind. Die Geschichte der beiden Jesusknaben. Urachhaus, Stuttgart 2003Sun and Cross – From Megalithic Culture to Early Christianity in Ireland Jakob Streit; Translated by Hugh Latham, Floris Books 2004 ISBN 9780863154409Erziehungskunst und Elternhaus. Die Kommenden, Freiburg im Breisgau 1954Newly published as: Erziehung, Schule, Elternhaus. Erziehungsfragen und Erziehungshilfen. Novalis, Schaffhausen 1978Das Märchen im Leben des Kindes. Brügger, Meiringen 1964Neuausgabe als: Warum Kinder Märchen brauchen. Verlag am Goetheanum (Ogham-Bücherei 24), Dornach 1985Waldorfpädagogik in öffentlichen Schulen. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1976Vom Werden der Welt. Novalis, Schaffhausen 1981Comics oder Märchen? Gift oder Nahrung für die Seelen unserer Kinder (with Elisabeth Klein). Verein für ein erweitertes Heilwesen, Bad Liebenzell 2. A. 1984Therese Keller – Porträt einer Puppenspielerin (as editor). Zytglogge, Gümligen 1974Anna Samweber: Aus meinem Leben (as editor). Die Pforte, Basel 1981Parzival. Der Weg zum heiligen Gral. Retold by Jakob Streit to illustrations by Werner Diedrich. Die Pforte, Basel 1997Wegspuren. Poetry. Pforte, Dornach 2000Radio Plays and Broadcasts
Beatus, ein irischer Glaubensbote. Radio DRS, Bern 1950Der vierte König. DRS, Bern 1952Clara von Rappard. DRS, Bern 1957Rösli vom Stechelberg. The Freie Marionettenbühne Wengen performs this as a puppet play in 4 acts, Premiere 25 December 2002.