If you’ve only read Grimm’s fairy tales in their simplified, sanitized versions, then you haven’t read Grimm’s fairy tales. Philip Pullman’s new translation of Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm (Viking, $27.95) includes all of my (and Pullman’s) favorite stories, including “Thousand Furs,” “Godfather Death,” and “Jorinda and Joringel,” and even some that, I must admit, I had never heard of before. The language is simple and vivid, just right for telling a fairy tale. Pullman provides an introduction, marvelous translations, and witty reflections at the end of each tale. For the folklore scholar, the book also includes the ATU (Aarne-Thompson) tale type, similar stories, and cites the source at the end. This is the perfect way to honor the 200th anniversary of the Grimms’ first fairy-tale collection.
