William was born in Hanau. In 1803, he enrolled in law at the University of Marburg. He studied with his brother, Jacob, who was a year older than him. The brothers were close to each other, they lived together most of their lives. Likewise, their books and other items were shared property. This harmony was not disturbed even by William’s marriage and paternity.
The writer collected folk tales and fairy tales, in which he was helped not only by his brother, but also by the von Droste zu Hülshoff, Annette and Jenny sisters. In 1830 he was employed as a librarian at the University of Göttingen, a year later he became an associate professor there, and in 1835 a full professor. After signing a protest known as the “Seven of Gotinga”, he was relieved of his duties. In 1840 he became a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin, but after 12 years he resigned from work at the university in order to devote himself entirely to research.
Although Wilhelm and Jacob gained the greatest popularity thanks to the Brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tales , published in 1812-1815 in two-volume form, they also created the Deutsches W ö rterbuch German dictionary (first published in 1854). The collection of folk tales was initially not intended for children, and its sources were the tales of, among others circulating in the Hassenpflug, Wild and Mannel families. It also included the texts of both brothers.
Among the best-known titles of the collection are, for example, About the Wolf and the Seven Goats , About the Fisherman and the Golden Fish , but also Mrs. Winter , Cinderella , Hansel and Gretel, and Rapunzel . These fairy tales have become a theme often taken up and adapted by subsequent creators, or by Disney (probably the most recognizable adaptations, including Tangled from 2010 or Cinderella from 2015), but also by German studies (e.g. About the Fisherman and his wife , 2013), South Korean (e.g. Hansel and Gretel , 2007) or Japanese (e.g. the anime series Fairy Tales of the Grimm Brothers)).
Which song from the Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales is your favorite? Is there one that accompanies you from childhood? Share your stories in the comments!
