Audiobook · read by volunteers
Personal Collection of Short Tales compiled by Carmie
Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm (1785–1863)
Read by Carmie · 4 chapters · 44 min
About the book
Here are a few of the best known fairy tales of the brothers Grimm, gathered into a short personal collection. A frog turns out to be more than he seems, a clever cat in boots makes the fortune of his master, a mysterious little man spins straw into gold for a price, and twelve princesses wear out their shoes every night with no one able to explain why. These tales were never as sweet as their reputation suggests. They are strange, dark and sometimes brutal, with high stakes and swift judgement, and they are told with a plainness that makes them all the more memorable. Four stories in under an hour, read by one volunteer, make an ideal introduction for anyone who has only met the softened versions, and a refreshing return for those who know them well.
Introduction
Jacob Grimm, born in 1785 and dead in 1863, and his brother Wilhelm were German scholars who devoted much of their lives to the study of language, law and folk tradition. The brothers are remembered together for the collection of tales first published in 1812 as Children's and Household Tales, a book that has since been translated into countless languages and has shaped the way many people think about fairy stories.
The tales in this selection, which include The Frog Prince, Puss in Boots, Rumpelstiltskin and The Twelve Dancing Princesses, are given here in English. Although such stories were aimed at the flexible mind of a child, which can absorb stranger ideas than an adult mind, they are often quite dark. Bargains are struck without thought for their consequences, and punishments can be severe. That mixture of wonder and menace is a large part of their lasting appeal. Rumpelstiltskin, with its terrible bargain, shows how high the stakes can be, and why generations of listeners have felt both thrilled and a little afraid. The plain, direct telling leaves room for the imagination.
This is a personal selection compiled and read by one LibriVox volunteer, Carmie. It is divided into four tracks and lasts about forty minutes.
Why listen? Because these stories are among the foundations of European storytelling, and hearing them aloud, as they were first shared, restores much of their power. They work equally well for children and for adults curious about where so many later tales began.
Public domain
Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm died in 1863: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive