The Brothers Grimm

“Ann Schmiesing tells the tale behind the tales. . . . [She] has brought the brothers to life in their fullness.”—Dominic Green, Wall Street Journal “Schmiesing . . . puts flesh on the bones of myth, and in doing so creates a portrait of familial devotion, passionate intellectual interest and powerful nationalistic sentiment. By bringing Jacob and Wilhelm to life, and setting their lives in context, she demonstrates the power and the danger of these eternal and essential tales — and reminds us why they haunt us still.”—Erica Wagner, Financial Times “Schmiesing’s biography of the Grimms is the first major English-language one in decades . . . [and] presents findings that complicate the brothers’ image.”—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker “Schmiesing brings lots of splendidly gothic-folkloric details into play.”—John Walsh, Sunday Times “As Ann Schmiesing makes clear, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were far more than just compilers of fairy tales. They were, above all, scholars and celebrants of medieval German language and culture . . . [while] populating our imaginations with immortal characters and the plot arcs of much of our fiction and drama.”—Michael Dirda, Washington Post “[The brothers’] bond is portrayed with sensitivity and is one of the chief charms of Schmiesing’s book. [The book] is energised by her enthusiasm and affection for her subjects.”—Camilla Cassidy, Telegraph A New Yorker “Best Book of 2024” Selection “A biography of the Grimms is amply justified, and Ann Schmiesing chronicles their lives briskly, readably and often vividly, drawing on a huge body of primary and secondary literature.”—Ritchie Robertson, Times Literary Supplement “First-rate. . . . Rich in history and insight, this stands as the new authoritative biography on the famed fairy tale collectors.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Impeccably researched and scholarly. . . . Schmiesing draws a vivid and often light-hearted picture of the Grimms’ circle of collaborators and friends, from gatherings of passionate medieval revivalists to endless bickering over authenticity. She loves her subjects and she conveys the delight of discovery and connection.”—Lucy Lethbridge, Literary Review “A thought-provoking discussion of the truth that the most dangerous act in the world—the thing with the most lasting and least predictable consequences—is not war or revolution. It is simply writing down the words Es war einmal . . . (‘Once upon a time. . .’) and watching blood, revenge, gory redemption and the immensely satisfying murder of the uncivilised unfold.”—Philip Hensher, The Spectator “A definitive biography. . . . This is a book that aims to situate the Grimms and their studies of language in the larger historical context of the intellectual and political movements of their time, and in this it succeeds admirably.”—John Gray, New Statesman “The Brothers Grimm lifts Jacob and Wilhelm out of the shadowy realm of legend into which they themselves have sometimes slipped, and restores them as real human beings who lived in a particular time and place—even if they gifted to the world tales that are timeless.”—Francis Young, History Today “Highly readable. . . . Folklorists and fairy-tale scholars need to read this book, certainly, but it also deserves wider attention from anyone interested in the intellectual cultures of the period.”—Paul Cowdell, BBC History Magazine “Ann Schmiesing’s The Brothers Grimm: A Biography is the most thorough and important study of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the English-speaking world. It demonstrates that the talented brothers were more than collectors of wondrous fairy tales. They were gifted men of integrity once upon a revolutionary time. This book is a major accomplishment.”—Jack Zipes, University of Minnesota “Schmiesing’s wonderfully lucid and accessible biography of the Brothers Grimm is indispensable reading for all who want to learn about the context, origin, and development of the world’s most famous fairy tale collection.”—Jakob Norberg, author of The Brothers Grimm and the Making of German Nationalism “At long last—an authoritative biography in English of the remarkable Brothers Grimm. Rich in details and insights, Ann Schmiesing’s unparalleled account draws on up-to-date research and her extensive knowledge of the brothers’ extraordinary lives and times.”—Donald Haase, Wayne State University