Happy Birthday, Jacob Grimm!
Grimm’s Fairytales has been translated into countless languages and is considered a hallmark of the storytelling tradition. Stories such as ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Hansel and Gretel’ have inspired adaptations across various cultures and artistic mediums.
Neil Gaiman is just one author indebted to the work of Jacob and Wilhelm. He considers himself an “alchemist,” mixing different elements from the Grimm’s text to create something new. He believes there’s nothing like a fairytale to inspire the imagination:
I want people to imagine. I think that your imagination is the most important tool that you possess, and I think that in addition to being a tool, it’s a muscle, and unless it’s exercised, it atrophies…Fairy tales are more than true – not because they tell us dragons exist but because they tell us dragons can be beaten. (The Telegraph)
