Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) are nowadays simply known as ‘the brothers Grimm’. They were born in the German state of Hesse. Throughout the troubled years of the early nineteenth century they worked, under various rulers, as librarians.

They worked steadily on an ambitious plan to collect the traditional folk tales of Germany, which they thought were in danger of being forgotten. Few of the tales were to be found in books, they were preserved by being told and re-told over the generations, by one person to another. The brothers relied on a variety of sources: friends and neighbours, peasants and members of the upper classes – anyone who knew a story would do! The two hundred tales they collected were published in two volumes, in 1812 and 1814, and include some of the best-known tales. The stories cover all moods, some are funny, some are shockingly violent but they are ageless because they tell truths about human nature.

The first...

Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) are nowadays simply known as ‘the brothers Grimm’. They were born in the German state of Hesse. Throughout the troubled years of the early nineteenth century they worked, under various rulers, as librarians.

They worked steadily on an ambitious plan to collect the traditional folk tales of Germany, which they thought were in danger of being forgotten. Few of the tales were to be found in books, they were preserved by being told and re-told over the generations, by one person to another. The brothers relied on a variety of sources: friends and neighbours, peasants and members of the upper classes – anyone who knew a story would do! The two hundred tales they collected were published in two volumes, in 1812 and 1814, and include some of the best-known tales. The stories cover all moods, some are funny, some are shockingly violent but they are ageless because they tell truths about human nature.

The first English version of the Grimms’ stories appeared in 1823, wonderfully illustrated by George Cruikshank.

The brothers continued to write, starting on a huge dictionary of the German language, but it is for their traditional tales that they are remembered.