The German Legends of the Brothers Grimm, Volume 1

by Donald Ward (Editor)

English, German (translation)

Genres: Folklore

432 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1981

About the author

Donald Ward sold his first story to CBC when he was nineteen-years-old and has written professionally for the last forty years. His fiction is thoughtful and humourous and always accessible, no matter how fantastic his grounding premise may be. In 2004 his short fiction collection Nobody Goes to Earth Any More, won the Saskatchewan Book Award for Book of the Year, and his story Badger won the 2009 CBC Literary Award. Ward is also an editor and book designer and his books have been awarded distinction at the annual Saskatchewan Book Awards. He has written, co-written, ghost-written, edited, and/or designed more than 120 volumes of non-fiction and fiction. Ward lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Reviews

[Csenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in the Hungarian translation.
Less well known than the Grimm fairy tale collection, "German Legends" is no less significant. These are stories that come from specific places, and often tell the story of a castle, a church, a rock, a cave, etc. They are tangible, and while less elaborate and enchanting than the fairy tales, they are interesting in a whole different way. The collection is also full of legends of supernatural creatures: Dwarfs, mermaids and mermen, and other spirits of nature. A lot of the stories are dark, and happy endings are scarce, but the collection provides an amazing context of beliefs and legends and helps a deeper understanding of the Grimm fairy tales as well.
The Hungarian edition had great notes and extensive lists of sources as well.