The Brothers Grimm

A Biography

by Ann Schmiesing

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Pub Date 29 Oct 2024 | Archive Date Not set

Biographies & Memoirs | Nonfiction (Adult) | Reference

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Description

The first English-language biography in over fifty years to tell the full, vibrant story of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, known to history as the Brothers Grimm

“Ann Schmiesing . . . has brought the brothers to life in their fullness.”—Dominic Green, Wall Street Journal

“Magisterial.”—Kirkus Reviews

More than two hundred years ago, the German brothers Jacob Grimm (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859) published a collection of fairy tales that remains famous the world over. It has been translated into some 170 languages—more than any other German book—and the Brothers Grimm are among the top dozen most translated authors in the world. In addition to collecting tales, the Grimms were mythographers, linguists, librarians, civil servants, and above all the closest of brothers, but until now, the full story of their lifelong endeavor to preserve and articulate a German cultural identity has not been well known.

Drawing on deep archival research and decades of scholarship, Ann Schmiesing tells the affecting story of how the Grimms’ ambitious projects gave the brothers a sense of self-preservation through the atrocities of the Napoleonic Wars and a series of personal losses. They produced a vast corpus of work on mythology and medieval literature, embarked on a monumental German dictionary project, and broke scholarly ground with Jacob’s linguistic discovery known as Grimm’s Law. Setting their story against a rich historical backdrop, Schmiesing offers a fresh consideration of the profound and yet complicated legacy of the Brothers Grimm.

The first English-language biography in over fifty years to tell the full, vibrant story of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, known to history as the Brothers Grimm

“Ann Schmiesing . . . has brought the...

Advance Praise

“First-rate. . . . Rich in history and insight, this stands as the new authoritative biography on the famed fairy tale collectors.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Magisterial.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Engaging. . . . Readers will delight to learn how tales featuring Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, and Little Red Riding Hood became and remain central cultural touchstones and beloved tales often shared, read, and reread.”—Bill Kelly, Booklist

“Ann Schmiesing’s The Brothers Grimm: A Biography is the most thorough and important study of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the English-speaking world. It demonstrates that the talented brothers were more than collectors of wondrous fairy tales. They were gifted men of integrity once upon a revolutionary time. This book is a major accomplishment.”—Jack Zipes, University of Minnesota

“Schmiesing’s wonderfully lucid and accessible biography of the Brothers Grimm is indispensable reading for all who want to learn about the context, origin, and development of the world’s most famous fairy tale collection.”—Jakob Norberg, author of The Brothers Grimm and the Making of German Nationalism

“At long last—an authoritative biography in English of the remarkable Brothers Grimm. Rich in details and insights, Ann Schmiesing’s unparalleled account draws on up-to-date research and her extensive knowledge of the brothers’ extraordinary lives and times.”—Donald Haase, Wayne State University

“First-rate. . . . Rich in history and insight, this stands as the new authoritative biography on the famed fairy tale collectors.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Magisterial.”—Kirkus Reviews

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