Nicholas Jubber

The Fairy Tellers takes readers on a fascinating journey through time and space to meet the minds behind some of the best-known fairytales as well as some who received much less attention in the Western world.

This is an excellently researched book, almost making us feel like witnesses to the lives of these seven creators, while at the same time providing some great background to the wider historical and social context to aid our understanding of the circumstances in which they lived and worked.

While I had heard of some of these fairy tellers before, there was much I didn't know about their lives and works, and I greatly appreciated the opportunity to get to know some fairy tellers I had never encountered before. As a lover of fairytales in all their forms, this was an absolute treat! It's not the easiest read though, so it might prove tough to get through for some people, especially if not used to reading non-fiction.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.… (more)

* I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book. *

The Fairy Tellers is an attempt to identify and flesh out the lives of the originators of some of the fairy tales that are so familiar to us today. While we nearly all know of authors such as the Grimms, not so much is known of where their tales came from. This book identifies some contributors to those collections. There is also the man who came up with the most well-known of the Arabian Nights stories, and story-tellers from all over the world who first documented tales that evolved into stories such as Cinderella through the passage of time and the journey between cultures.

Each fairy teller is discussed in the context of the stories that he or she told, and their stories are clarified by the very different lives that they lived. In some cases, this is quite challenging, given the obscurity of the author in the mists of time.

I thought this was a really interesting book, and very cleverly put together.… (more)

“The Fairy Tellers” is unlike anything I've read before. It’s a collection of charming accounts of the greatest storytellers.

First is Giambattista Basile, an Italian courtier who wrote the earliest European versions of tales like Rapunzel and Cinderella (of Brothers Grimm fame, who are also included!) His “The Tale of Tales” is refreshing and witty, featuring resourceful women and political commentary. Basile’s nomadic life reminded me very much of Casanova. What’s more, like the great Pliny before him, Basile dies during an eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 1631.

Next is Hanna Dyab, about whom it was a pleasure to learn. This Syrian traveler was the original orator for the "1001 Nights." He narrated the tales to Antoine Galland, who published them without giving Dyab due credit. But unbeknownst to Dyab, Galland and the Brothers Grimm, “stories flowed along the routes of caravans” and many of their tales can be traced to the 11th century’s “The Ocean of the Streams of Story” by Somadeva Bhatta.

Then there's Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, author of “Beauty and the Beast,” who wrote from personal experience of poverty and the hypocrisy of nobility. “What life wouldn’t give her, Gabrielle-Suzanne bestowed on her characters.” Despite living with famous poet and tragedian Crebillon, she remains sidelined, much in the same way as Dyab.

We also meet Ivan Khudiakov who opposed 1860s censorship. Folkore was an expression of the people, deserving of preservation, and from Khudiakov we get the infamous Baba Yaga. Although Khudiakov would suffer, I think he would’ve genuinely enjoyed the works of Hans Christian Andersen. Like Khudiakov, Andersen acknowledged history and traditional practices, and it shows in his unique fairy tales.

While the author offers humorous summaries in lieu of the tales, their lives are spell-binding. Recognition of these figures is long overdue but you couldn’t ask for a more passionate dedication.… (more)