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The Frog Prince: A Fairy Tale for Consenting Adults
In this brilliant jewel of a book, the best-selling author of Tao Te A New English Version expands and deepens the classic fairy tale in the most surprising and delightful ways, giving new emphasis to its message of the transcendent power of love.
The Frog Prince tells the story of a meditative frog's love for a rebellious princess, how she came to love him in spite of herself, and how her refusal to compromise helped him become who he truly was. This is a magical book that moves (amphibiously) from story to meditation and back, from the outrageous to the philosophical to the silly to the sublime. Profound, touching, written in prose as lively and unpredictable as a dream, The Frog Prince tickles the mind, opens the heart, and holds up a mirror to the soul.
The Frog Prince tells the story of a meditative frog's love for a rebellious princess, how she came to love him in spite of herself, and how her refusal to compromise helped him become who he truly was. This is a magical book that moves (amphibiously) from story to meditation and back, from the outrageous to the philosophical to the silly to the sublime. Profound, touching, written in prose as lively and unpredictable as a dream, The Frog Prince tickles the mind, opens the heart, and holds up a mirror to the soul.
188 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
7 people are currently reading
304 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Mitchell
172 books579 followersStephen Mitchell was educated at Amherst College, the Sorbonne, and Yale University, and de-educated through intensive Zen practice. He is widely known for his ability to make old classics thrillingly new, to step in where many have tried before and to create versions that are definitive for our time. His many books include The Gospel According to Jesus, The Second Book of the Tao, two books of fiction, and a book of poetry.
Mitchell’s Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke has been called “the most beautiful group of poetic translations [the twentieth] century has produced.” William Arrowsmith said that his Sonnets to Orpheus “instantly makes every other rendering obsolete.” His Book of Job has been called “magnificent.” His bestselling Tao Te Ching, Bhagavad Gita, and Gilgamesh—which are not translations from the original text, but rather poetic interpretations that use existing translations into Western languages as their starting point—have also been highly praised by critics, scholars, and common readers. Gilgamesh was Editor’s Choice of The New York Times Book Review, was selected as the Book Sense 2004 Highlight for Poetry, was a finalist for the first annual Quill Award in poetry. His translation of the Iliad was chosen as one of the New Yorker’s favorite books of 2011. He is a two-time winner of the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award from the Academy of American Poets.
His books for young readers include The Wishing Bone, winner of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award as the best book of poetry for children published in the United States in 2003, and Jesus: What He Really Said and Did, which was chosen by the American Library Association’s Booklist as one of the top ten religious books for children in 2002.
He is also coauthor of two of his wife Byron Katie’s bestselling books: Loving What Is and A Thousand Names for Joy. www.thework.com
You can read extensive excerpts from all his books on his website, www.stephenmitchellbooks.com.
Mitchell’s Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke has been called “the most beautiful group of poetic translations [the twentieth] century has produced.” William Arrowsmith said that his Sonnets to Orpheus “instantly makes every other rendering obsolete.” His Book of Job has been called “magnificent.” His bestselling Tao Te Ching, Bhagavad Gita, and Gilgamesh—which are not translations from the original text, but rather poetic interpretations that use existing translations into Western languages as their starting point—have also been highly praised by critics, scholars, and common readers. Gilgamesh was Editor’s Choice of The New York Times Book Review, was selected as the Book Sense 2004 Highlight for Poetry, was a finalist for the first annual Quill Award in poetry. His translation of the Iliad was chosen as one of the New Yorker’s favorite books of 2011. He is a two-time winner of the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award from the Academy of American Poets.
His books for young readers include The Wishing Bone, winner of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award as the best book of poetry for children published in the United States in 2003, and Jesus: What He Really Said and Did, which was chosen by the American Library Association’s Booklist as one of the top ten religious books for children in 2002.
He is also coauthor of two of his wife Byron Katie’s bestselling books: Loving What Is and A Thousand Names for Joy. www.thework.com
You can read extensive excerpts from all his books on his website, www.stephenmitchellbooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
February 27, 2018
"Εκείνο που φαινομενικά μοιάζει με ξιπασιά, αχαριστία και ξεροκεφαλιά αποτελεί στην ουσία αδιάσειστη απόδειξη της ακεραιότητας του χαρακτήρα".
"Αν κάτω από τον ουρανό, όλοι μπορούν την ομορφιά να αναγνωρίζουν, ειν' επειδή υπάρχει ασχήμια".
"Αν κάτω από τον ουρανό, όλοι μπορούν την ομορφιά να αναγνωρίζουν, ειν' επειδή υπάρχει ασχήμια".
January 11, 2009
I thought it was bitterly funny. This first paragraph sets the tone for the whole thing: "There are two kinds of women: those who marry princes and those who marry frogs. The frogs never become princes, but it is an acknowledged fact that a prince may very well, in the course of an ordinary marrige, gradually, at first almost imperceptibly, turn into a frog. Happy the woman who after twenty-five years still wakes up beside the prince she fell in love with."
May 9, 2019
2-1/2 stars. Cute little tale, sprinkled with some wisdom and humor. Just felt it tried a bit too hard....
August 8, 2012
The unique spin on this classic tale was clever and entertaining at first, but as the book progressed, the same charming writting style soon became a bit monotonous to read. Although the book does incorporate a lot of interesting historical facts, some chapters were just inconsequencial fluff that served only to hinder the progression of the story rather than aid in developing the events ( Chapters 23 and 25 could've been left out of the book completely, IMHO). Overall, the book's whimsical tone and uncommon perspective made it fairly enjoyable to read despite its tedious portions.
October 21, 2022
3.5⭐
Se state cercando la storia del principe Ranocchio in chiave moderna, questo libro fa proprio per voi.
Il libro, infatti, racconta la classica storia ma molto spesso l'autore si ferma a riflettere su piccoli dettagli che ci erano sfuggiti da bambini.
A volte si ferma per capitoli interi, con tanto di espressioni filosofiche che, a parer mio, rallentano un po' la lettura.
Lo stile usato è carino, con le giuste descrizioni dei luoghi, delle vicende e dei personaggi.
Una lettura per nulla impegnativa se si ha voglia di semplicità!
Se state cercando la storia del principe Ranocchio in chiave moderna, questo libro fa proprio per voi.
Il libro, infatti, racconta la classica storia ma molto spesso l'autore si ferma a riflettere su piccoli dettagli che ci erano sfuggiti da bambini.
A volte si ferma per capitoli interi, con tanto di espressioni filosofiche che, a parer mio, rallentano un po' la lettura.
Lo stile usato è carino, con le giuste descrizioni dei luoghi, delle vicende e dei personaggi.
Una lettura per nulla impegnativa se si ha voglia di semplicità!
August 21, 2012
Very stylized. It was almost fun, but it just got a little too caught up in the exaggerated style. There were great moments, though.
April 5, 2023
Ik kocht dit boekje voor 1 euro in de kringwinkel en ik heb ervan genoten 🐸
August 9, 2024
Aburrido e incoherente, El príncipe rana es un horrible intento de autoayuda novelada. Esto es, de hacer algo que invite al crecimiento y la reflexión adoptando la forma de cuento o novela. La mayoría de las veces el resultado deja bastante que desear. Pero en este caso es, simplemente, terrible. Una tortura disfrazada de simpático cuento que llega al cuerpo en forma de dolor de cabeza enorme.
Stephen Mitchell firma la autoría de este absoluto bodrio. Viendo el tipo de obras que traduce (de corte místico y espiritual) no me extraña nada el tono de la obra. Pero hay que decir que se necesitan tablas literarias para escribir un cuento bien. Y, por desgracia, este autor no las posee. Literariamente hablando, Mitchell es un escritor completamente mediocre que posee un estilo de escritura burdo, simplón y un desastre de ejecución. Todo ello gracias a una prosa lenta, rebuscada y liosa, con un desarrollo complejo, un lenguaje exagerado y ampuloso y unas descripciones que o bien se pasan o se quedan cortas. Pero ha llegado el momento de hablar de lo peor, con mucha diferencia, de todo el libro: los personajes. En esencia hay dos, la rana y la princesa. Decir que su construcción es mala es quedarse muy corto. No es solo que no conozcamos nada de ambos. Es que los dos están tan mal perfilados que no eres capaz de calibrarlos o empatizar de alguna manera. Y si esto fuera solo un cuento, sería comprensible, ya que este género literario no se caracteriza por sus magníficos protagonistas. Pero en una fábula reflexiva no conocer al personaje inspirador hace que toda enseñanza se tambalee irremediablemente.
Es bastante sencillo saber de qué trata, El príncipe rana, si has leído la obra de los hermanos Grimm del mismo nombre. Y es que la histórica básica es la misma que en el cuento original. Pero para evitar malentendidos contaré brevemente de que trata esta pequeña narración. Estamos en Francia, en algún periodo temporal difuso entre la Edad Media y el Renacimiento que el autor se ha inventado, justificando que durante este tiempo ocurrieron “de verdad” todos esos acontecimientos mágicos contados en los cuentos de hadas. Sea como fuere, estamos en algún reino de Francia donde habita una princesa muy guapa, lista y etc... que un día pierde su bola de oro en el estanque. Es entonces cuando la rana, increíblemente inteligente, educada y etc... le propone un trato a la princesa: la bola a cambio de comer y beber en su mismo plato y taza y acostarse con ella en la cama. La princesa acepta y la rana le devuelve la bola. Pero más tarde cuando el batracio le exige que cumpla su promesa es cuando surgen los problemas. Y es que, seamos sinceros, las ranas son bastante feas y a nadie le gusta estar cerca de una. Pero es entonces cuando la rana se convierte en príncipe y etc... Que nadie me acuse de hacer spoiler injustamente. Repito, la trama es la misma que la del clásico infantil popular. Lo único realmente diferente son las observaciones que hace el narrador donde adorna, con reflexiones, lecciones y citas que supuestamente te facilitan conocer el sentido de esta fábula. En mi caso ha sido al contrario. Tanta divagación estéril, tanto diálogo plagado de citas de Hamlet y del Tao te King y tanto razonamiento ha hecho que un cuento cuya máxima era “no juzgues a los demás por el exterior” se haya vuelto algo incomprensible y estúpidamente aburrido.
Definitivamente, El príncipe rana, es una de esas historias que pretende expandir tus conocimientos, emociones y límites espirituales. Lo único que expande son los niveles de tedio y hastío que puedes soportar antes de caer preso de la somnolencia. Y es que este príncipe estaría mejor en una obra dramática pensando sobre la muerte o el sufrimiento que en una de corte romántico, lamentándose de que una princesa tan insoportable como esta, no le quiera. Pero con las ranas ya se sabe...
Stephen Mitchell firma la autoría de este absoluto bodrio. Viendo el tipo de obras que traduce (de corte místico y espiritual) no me extraña nada el tono de la obra. Pero hay que decir que se necesitan tablas literarias para escribir un cuento bien. Y, por desgracia, este autor no las posee. Literariamente hablando, Mitchell es un escritor completamente mediocre que posee un estilo de escritura burdo, simplón y un desastre de ejecución. Todo ello gracias a una prosa lenta, rebuscada y liosa, con un desarrollo complejo, un lenguaje exagerado y ampuloso y unas descripciones que o bien se pasan o se quedan cortas. Pero ha llegado el momento de hablar de lo peor, con mucha diferencia, de todo el libro: los personajes. En esencia hay dos, la rana y la princesa. Decir que su construcción es mala es quedarse muy corto. No es solo que no conozcamos nada de ambos. Es que los dos están tan mal perfilados que no eres capaz de calibrarlos o empatizar de alguna manera. Y si esto fuera solo un cuento, sería comprensible, ya que este género literario no se caracteriza por sus magníficos protagonistas. Pero en una fábula reflexiva no conocer al personaje inspirador hace que toda enseñanza se tambalee irremediablemente.
Es bastante sencillo saber de qué trata, El príncipe rana, si has leído la obra de los hermanos Grimm del mismo nombre. Y es que la histórica básica es la misma que en el cuento original. Pero para evitar malentendidos contaré brevemente de que trata esta pequeña narración. Estamos en Francia, en algún periodo temporal difuso entre la Edad Media y el Renacimiento que el autor se ha inventado, justificando que durante este tiempo ocurrieron “de verdad” todos esos acontecimientos mágicos contados en los cuentos de hadas. Sea como fuere, estamos en algún reino de Francia donde habita una princesa muy guapa, lista y etc... que un día pierde su bola de oro en el estanque. Es entonces cuando la rana, increíblemente inteligente, educada y etc... le propone un trato a la princesa: la bola a cambio de comer y beber en su mismo plato y taza y acostarse con ella en la cama. La princesa acepta y la rana le devuelve la bola. Pero más tarde cuando el batracio le exige que cumpla su promesa es cuando surgen los problemas. Y es que, seamos sinceros, las ranas son bastante feas y a nadie le gusta estar cerca de una. Pero es entonces cuando la rana se convierte en príncipe y etc... Que nadie me acuse de hacer spoiler injustamente. Repito, la trama es la misma que la del clásico infantil popular. Lo único realmente diferente son las observaciones que hace el narrador donde adorna, con reflexiones, lecciones y citas que supuestamente te facilitan conocer el sentido de esta fábula. En mi caso ha sido al contrario. Tanta divagación estéril, tanto diálogo plagado de citas de Hamlet y del Tao te King y tanto razonamiento ha hecho que un cuento cuya máxima era “no juzgues a los demás por el exterior” se haya vuelto algo incomprensible y estúpidamente aburrido.
Definitivamente, El príncipe rana, es una de esas historias que pretende expandir tus conocimientos, emociones y límites espirituales. Lo único que expande son los niveles de tedio y hastío que puedes soportar antes de caer preso de la somnolencia. Y es que este príncipe estaría mejor en una obra dramática pensando sobre la muerte o el sufrimiento que en una de corte romántico, lamentándose de que una princesa tan insoportable como esta, no le quiera. Pero con las ranas ya se sabe...
December 5, 2020
An interesting in depth look at the fairytale The Frog Prince!
January 22, 2017
This is one of my very favorite books. I don't think I ever would have found it, but the cover popped out at me at a second hand book store, so I bought it and took it home. Who would have thought that I had just discovered one of my all time favorite fairy tale re-tellings? The author does such an amazing job of keeping the reader engaged, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud several times while I was reading it. The writing is, in my opinion, incredibly beautiful; I don't even have any words to describe my love affair with the way Mitchell writes! I hope you enjoy reading this cute book as much as I did!! Happy reading!
November 14, 2007
I enjoyed this brief re-telling of a classic myth. It doesn't turn the tables on the old format...it just illuminates the psychology of the princess and the frog prince, and praises the princess for her realistic sense of self-worth.
March 21, 2013
Promising start and premise with excellent writing, but the story unravels in its own cleverness (philosophical asides, smarmy wink-wink to the author's self). Also takes a somewhat misogynistic turn, with the princess as a static, shallow character.
January 18, 2012
wonderful retelling of the fairy tale ~ all about the power of loving acceptnace which frees one to live to his/her fullest potenital. highly recommended!
December 31, 2015
I actually really liked this book - a cute tale about romance and relationships.
July 23, 2016
i'm a little uncomfortable.
August 25, 2019
Este libro, me gustó pero no tanto para ponerle una calificación más alta. Me pareció algo muy bello cómo el autor utiliza la filosofía al hacer un "estudio", podría decirse, del clásico que ya todos conocemos
July 14, 2023
Read this aloud with my partner. We enjoyed it although I think we missed some larger meanings.. it’s a funny dissection of a fairy tale.
February 1, 2025
Bijzondere filosofische kijk op een eeuwenoud sprookje. Mooi verwoord.
January 22, 2021
I originally had it at 3 but then a few weeks after reading it, I thought about it and the only thought I had was: "What was the point...? I gained nothing from reading this."
Quirky read if you're in a library and need to kill an hour or so, definitely not worth buying or spending a lot of effort on obtaining.
Quirky read if you're in a library and need to kill an hour or so, definitely not worth buying or spending a lot of effort on obtaining.
February 20, 2016
Ben, yeğenim Asi Deniz'e Kurbağa Prens hikayesini "öpmüş prens olmuş, prens hiç tipi değilmiş beğenmemiş" diye anlatırdım. Ama bu kitap benden daha çok uçmuş:) Daha büyük beklentiler içindeydim ama hafta sonumu renklendirmeye yetti.. Kurbağa Prens:yetişkinler için bir masal-Stephen Mitchell'
Arka kapak yazısı beni benden almıştı. paylaşayım:)
"Bir kadını bir kurbağaya âşık eden nedir? Sayısız kadın zamanın başlangıcından bu yana, gecenin bir yarısı, yatak odasının tavanına bakarak aynı soruyu kendi kendine sormuştur. Ve eğer bunun cevabını biliyor olsaydım, sizi temin ederim hiçbir maddi kazanç gözetmeksizin bedavadan açıklar, insanlık tarihinin en ulu hayırseverlerinden biri olarak sayılmayı' mutlulukla karşılardım. Cevabı maalesef
ben de bilmiyorum. Tek bildiğim bu kadının bu kurbağaya nasıl âşık olduğudur.(...) Geçtiğimiz günlerde araştırmacılar,
eskiden kurbağa olup da şimdi mutku bir evliliğe sahip birkaç yakışıklı prensi inceledi (Birkaç diyorum, çünkü filozofun da dediği gibi mükemmel evlilikler hem zordur hem de ender bulunur.) Bu eski kurbağalar bir konuda hemfikirdi. Büyük değişim için üç şey gerekliydi: Kesin bir bilinçsizlik; duvara fırlatılmaya rıza ve mutlaka, hayal gücü yüksek bir kadının sevgisi. Bir de dördüncü olarak sabır gereklidir. Evet, hem de büyük bir sabır çünkü
fırlatılmayla çarpışma arasında geçen süre bazen onlarca yıl alabilir.”
Arka kapak yazısı beni benden almıştı. paylaşayım:)
"Bir kadını bir kurbağaya âşık eden nedir? Sayısız kadın zamanın başlangıcından bu yana, gecenin bir yarısı, yatak odasının tavanına bakarak aynı soruyu kendi kendine sormuştur. Ve eğer bunun cevabını biliyor olsaydım, sizi temin ederim hiçbir maddi kazanç gözetmeksizin bedavadan açıklar, insanlık tarihinin en ulu hayırseverlerinden biri olarak sayılmayı' mutlulukla karşılardım. Cevabı maalesef
ben de bilmiyorum. Tek bildiğim bu kadının bu kurbağaya nasıl âşık olduğudur.(...) Geçtiğimiz günlerde araştırmacılar,
eskiden kurbağa olup da şimdi mutku bir evliliğe sahip birkaç yakışıklı prensi inceledi (Birkaç diyorum, çünkü filozofun da dediği gibi mükemmel evlilikler hem zordur hem de ender bulunur.) Bu eski kurbağalar bir konuda hemfikirdi. Büyük değişim için üç şey gerekliydi: Kesin bir bilinçsizlik; duvara fırlatılmaya rıza ve mutlaka, hayal gücü yüksek bir kadının sevgisi. Bir de dördüncü olarak sabır gereklidir. Evet, hem de büyük bir sabır çünkü
fırlatılmayla çarpışma arasında geçen süre bazen onlarca yıl alabilir.”
March 5, 2019
“La gran transformación, demandaba tres requisitos: un continuo no saber, estar dispuestos a ser lanzados contra la pared y, siempre, el amor de una mujer visionaria. Y un cuarto requisito: la paciencia.”
Es un bello libro para leer y pensar.
A veces el estudio casi filosófico para con el cuento se torna un poco pesado. Pero deja enseñanzas y reflexiones que valen la pena.
Es un bello libro para leer y pensar.
A veces el estudio casi filosófico para con el cuento se torna un poco pesado. Pero deja enseñanzas y reflexiones que valen la pena.
March 19, 2017
My second read. I feel as though I could read this 100 times and glean something new and exciting from it. A lovely expansion of the original fable!
A few points I received from the story and insights this go around:
+ In relationship, in love, holding two visions at once: the perfection of who a person is at the moment (either you or I) and the potential that we see in the other (and ourselves). Appreciation and love for the both.
+ "People often confuse compassion with pity. Compassion is a mode of love. Pity is a mode of contempt. Compassion sees us as we truly are, beyond excuses, beyond justification, beyond personality. Compassion is pitiless."
+ "All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare."
+ "The awe-filled unveilings of our true identity are always surrounded by joy."
A quick and easeful read. Definitely, definitely worth it!
A few points I received from the story and insights this go around:
+ In relationship, in love, holding two visions at once: the perfection of who a person is at the moment (either you or I) and the potential that we see in the other (and ourselves). Appreciation and love for the both.
+ "People often confuse compassion with pity. Compassion is a mode of love. Pity is a mode of contempt. Compassion sees us as we truly are, beyond excuses, beyond justification, beyond personality. Compassion is pitiless."
+ "All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare."
+ "The awe-filled unveilings of our true identity are always surrounded by joy."
A quick and easeful read. Definitely, definitely worth it!
January 17, 2025
Once I picked it up, I couldn't set it down.
A delightful retelling of a fairytale that is universally known, but of undefined origins. Mitchell takes you on a humorous, philosophical journey though the story that makes you want to go through it again and again.
I have delved into many of Mitchell's books and have always enjoyed his writing. He is best know for his translations of mythical and spiritual books, but he has delightful visits to children's books and poetry as well. I plan to revisit the many books I already have on my shelves.
A delightful retelling of a fairytale that is universally known, but of undefined origins. Mitchell takes you on a humorous, philosophical journey though the story that makes you want to go through it again and again.
I have delved into many of Mitchell's books and have always enjoyed his writing. He is best know for his translations of mythical and spiritual books, but he has delightful visits to children's books and poetry as well. I plan to revisit the many books I already have on my shelves.
November 19, 2014
I love the original tale of The Frog King aka Iron Heinrich) by the Brothers Grimm as its one of the more humorous tales. The Frog Prince: A Fairy Tale for Consenting Adults is supposed to be a retelling, but is more like hitting Iron Heinrich in with a mallet. Do you have to go into explicit detail of every single event and explain in minute detail what everyone is wearing? NO. And do you need to pause every minute to think up of every single action the character COULD HAVE TAKEN? Nooooooo. That's just bad writing.
It's just not my cup of tea.
It's just not my cup of tea.
June 14, 2014
Contains snippets of very poetic wisdom but overall I felt it was trying too hard.
Read much more like a college essay on Tao than like either a book or a fairy tale.
Too analytical for its own good.
I did however write down a couple bits of wisdom which I will carry into my relationships so I definitely would not say I wasted my time reading this book.
"What we are tempted to call a disaster is sometimes the first, painful stage of a blessing."
Read much more like a college essay on Tao than like either a book or a fairy tale.
Too analytical for its own good.
I did however write down a couple bits of wisdom which I will carry into my relationships so I definitely would not say I wasted my time reading this book.
"What we are tempted to call a disaster is sometimes the first, painful stage of a blessing."
April 3, 2015
A good book to take with on the plane, to the doctor's office. One of those books I have to read slowly to discover what he's getting at, then think on a bit, (while the receptionist calls someone else's name for the next appointment). He likes to get wordy, whole lot of detailed explanations. Trying to be the male Austen??? Thank goodness it's a very short book, or I'd be throwing it against the wall myself!
June 19, 2012
Only worthwhile line was the last one:
"Again and again, in a marriage that keeps ripening and growing deeper..both of them will have to find ways of redefining the miraculous. Again and again they will each have to realize that Happily ever after doesn’t begin with Once upon a time: it begins with Now. But that is another story."
"Again and again, in a marriage that keeps ripening and growing deeper..both of them will have to find ways of redefining the miraculous. Again and again they will each have to realize that Happily ever after doesn’t begin with Once upon a time: it begins with Now. But that is another story."
June 1, 2013
This is an odd little book. It uses the framework of the fairytale to teach philosophic principles. In many places, the story plays second fiddle to the Taoist remarks. It reminded me a bit of The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, though what Hoff does is more teaching and less storytelling.
December 25, 2014
An interesting exploration of the classic fairy tale with a philosophical/psychological bent. I didn't find it particularly profound, but it was well written and an easy read. Not sure how the whole Tao Te Ching thing fits in but it wasn't terribly distracting. If you have an interest in unpacking fairy tales I think you will enjoy this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews