Library shows Grimms’ link with Scott

Published on 19/09/2012 12:00

ONE of the most famous books in history – Grimms’ Fairy Tales – and the links between the brothers Grimm and one of Scotland’s most famous authors are to be celebrated at the National Library of Scotland on the 200th anniversary of its first publication.

The display, which opens today, highlights the strong links between the brothers Grimm and Sir Walter Scott.

It includes letters between Jacob Grimm and Scott and a book published in 1813 for which Wilhelm Grimm translated three Scots songs into German, among them one from Scott’s Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.

Grimms’ Fairy Tales has been described as one of the most influential works of Western culture and contains timeless tales that have entertained generations of children – including Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood.

Anette Hagan, senior rare books curator at the National Library, said: “What many people do not realise is that the collection was not intended for children. There is a dark side to many of them. They reflect the often cruel, violent lives of 
people in Europe at that time.”