| 50-4853 | PN3437 | 2011-48282 CIP | | Humanities Language & Literature General | | The Teller’s tale: lives of the classic fairy tale writers, ed. by Sophie Raynard. SUNY Press, 2012. 183p index afp; ISBN 9781438443553, $75.00. Reviewed in 2013may CHOICE. | | In The Teller’s Tale, Raynard (French, Stony Brook Univ., SUNY) provides concise biographies of well-known fairy tale writers–Francesco Straparola, Giambattista Basile, Charles Perrault, Madame d’Aulnoy, Madame Leprince de Beaumont, the Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Andersen–and of several French and German women whose names are less familiar. The sketches are generally four to five pages long and are followed by complete bibliographies of the author’s publications and a welcome bibliography of secondary materials on that author. A stellar cast of international scholars, including Ruth Bottigheimer, Nancy Canepa, and Shawn Jarvis, have produced these portraits. Several of the entries were translated by the editor, who also provides a graceful introduction. A slender and very valuable contribution to fairy tales studies, this book will be useful to a broad audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. — E. R. Baer, Gustavus Adolphus College |
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