Grimm Fairy Tales Turn 200

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• published: 20 Dec 2012
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In the German capital, many of the renowned fairy tales by the famous Grimm brothers have been adapted for the stage for both children and adults. [Jan Zimmermann, Director]: "There is a 'Grimm' law of purity that states that only original texts can be used, in some fairy tales this isn't possible but at the end of the day, when you look at Hansel and Gretel, when you don't have a modern version, it somehow moves the people, like a déjà vu, that they haven't experienced before. An old cultural matrix is awakened where you are left amazed by yourself, by how you are affected when you actually see the fairy tale, when it is actually performed word for word." December 20th will mark two centuries since Germany's most famous brothers published their first book of fairy tales - The Children's and Household Tales - a book which began a long tradition of story-telling that spread far beyond their home country. Published in 1812 the first volume contained 86 stories which have now been translated into more than 160 languages. The book was officially included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2005. [Bernhard Lauer, Head of the Brothers Grimm Museum in Kassel]: "The Grimm Brothers' 'Children's and Household Tales' are the most widespread and most illustrated books in German cultural history and if you count together all of the individual copies and complete works then the number of copies published is more than one billion." But who were the Grimm brothers? Jacob and Wilhelm were born 1785 and 1786 respectively in the central German town of Hanau. Destroyed during WWII, all that remains of their birth house today is a small plaque. The town has not forgotten the Grimm brothers. [Erhardt Schaefer, Local]: "They are the two fairy tale princes from Hanau. They had a lot to say and they really molded the fairy tale world in Germany." [Annemarie Reichel, Local]: "Many fairy tales which I know from my childhood, and which I read to my daughter and will now pass on to my grandchildren, the Grimm Brothers lived here and in Steinau." In 1791, the nearby town of Steinau became the childhood home of the writers. [Burkhard Kling, Head of the Brothers Grimm House in Steinau]: "The Grimm Brothers are known around the world. Many people come here from all over the world and we hope that with this anniversary we will be able to make many more people internationally aware of the Grimm Brothers, of their work and Steinau." For many, the Grimms are remembered not just for their magical fairy tales, but also as two men who helped to shape the modern-day Germany and German language. Throughout the coming year, events are taking place across the country to celebrate the anniversary. For more news and videos visit ☛ http://ntdtv.org Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C