Das Blaue Licht und Andere Märchen=La Lumière Bleue et Autres Contes

by Wilhelm Grimm, Jacob Grimm

Edition bilingue

Contient les contes suivants : Les sept corbeaux ; Le tambour ; Le diable au trois cheveux d'or ; Histoire de celui qui partit pour connaître la peur ; La jeune fille sans mains ; Le petit frère et la petite soeur ; Demoiselle Maleen ; Le roi de la montagne d'or ; Le vieux sultan.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

One year after Jakob Ludwig Karl Grimm started studying law at the University of Marburg, his younger brother, German author Wilhelm Karl Grimm, followed.

In 1825, Wilhelm married Henriette Dorothea Wild, also known as Dortchen. Together they parented four children: Jakob Grimm (1826-1826), Herman Friedrich Grimm (1828-1901), Rudolf Georg Grimm (1830-1889), and Auguste Luise Pauline Marie (1832-1919).

From 1837 to 1841, the Grimm brothers joined five of their colleague professors at the University of Göttingen to form a group, known as the Göttinger sieben. They protested against Ernst August, king of Hanover, whom they accused of violating the constitution. The king fired all seven professors.

Wilhelm Grimm died in Berlin.

---Adapted from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Seth Abernethy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Grimms never seem to disappoint in terms of the uncomfortable and shocking. I discovered this gem of theirs looking for original tales to compare their more modern versions to. When I saw that Aladdin and His Magic Lamp was *loosely* based on "Das Blaue Licht", I quickly hunted down an English version and had to know what the differences were. I'm moderately familiar with the brothers' original versions of some of our favorite fairy tales, and how shockingly gruesome they tend to be, so I wasn't expecting The Blue Light to be much different. The German Knight is discharged by the king and must find a new place to rest his head. Naturally, as per fairy tale usual, he finds a witches hut, who tricks him into having to stay another night. The second day she asks him to fetch her blue light from the well, which he intends on keeping for himself, and when he becomes trapped in the well, attempts to light his pipe with it, and a dwarf appears ready and willing to grant wishes. The knights wishes for three things - 1. To get out of the well, 2. To "have his way" with the princess to get back at the king, and 3. for the witch to be hanged. Now, whether or not this knight knows the word "overkill" isn't the point. This story was hilarious in the modern sense. We all remember Aladdin, Disney or no, being a pauper with a heart of gold, who is in love with the princess - not ready and willing to rape her - and being the good guy. The very huge detail differences are why I love this story, as well the creepiness that makes it that X-Factor Grimm's fairy tale. It's raw, and hardcore, and fun in the morbid sense.