The Bremen Town Musicians: Fairy Tales

The name of the storytellers, the Brothers Grimm, is known to children and adults all over the world. However, Jacob and Wilhelm were not only writers but also famous scholars. They made a significant contribution to the development of German... literature and culture as a whole: they provided a systematic description of German grammar, began compiling the first dictionary of the German language (work on it lasted 120 years), and collected numerous folk tales and legends. The Brothers Grimm were born in the city of Hanau, in the family of a lawyer. Jacob Grimm was born in 1785, and Wilhelm a year later; they had six younger brothers and a sister. To provide for his children, the father had to work tirelessly, knowing no rest. He died young: his body could not cope with pneumonia. The boys' mother clearly saw how curious and hardworking her older sons were, and therefore, despite financial difficulties, she sent them to study at a lyceum. The brothers completed the full course of study in 4 years (twice as fast as required) and enrolled in the law department of the University of Marburg. There they became interested in literary fiction and devoted their few free hours to studying German poetry. Later, the Brothers Grimm began to collect and study the fairy tales of the German people. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were professors at the University of Göttingen, and later taught at the University of Berlin; they were members of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. The Brothers Grimm published more than 200 folk tales. This collection includes 8 popular magical and household tales that teach young readers to love and cherish their family, to never give up, to rely on friends, to remain a loyal friend, and also to work diligently, to be unselfish, and not to turn away from others' grief. Some heroes of the Brothers Grimm understand this well, while others will experience exciting and not always pleasant adventures, after which everyone will be rewarded. For younger school age. The texts of the works are presented without abbreviations.