Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) has sold more than fifteen million copies and been has published in more than forty countries. The first volume, The Golden Compass, was made into a major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. Pullman is at work on a companion His Dark Materials novel, The Book of Dust. He lives in Oxford, England.
“Pullman’s Fairy Tales offers something unique: the chance to watch
a master storyteller think through these most foundational of
tales. . . . It is fascinating.” —The New York Times
“Zippy! . . . These tales are about plot and economy and speed
[and] make great bedtime read-alouds for children who can handle a
little gore. . . . The original tales weren’t for children, of
course; they were for everyone. So is this book. . . . Pullman is
both erudite and funny. . . . He has fun with dialogue, and is
particularly snappy with dwarfs. . . . You know what? He crushes
it, as the youth of today are wont to say. . . . His translations
are perfection.” —The New York Times Book Review
“It is such a pleasure to read these tales again, to experience
their strangeness and richness, their violence and beauty, their
sheer nonsense. . . . Reading Pullman’s version it is impossible
not to hear Pullman’s own gentle voice; he is present on every
page. . . . [His] interventions work brilliantly.” —The Boston
Globe
“These wonder tales . . . compel belief as powerfully as any
adventure or thriller.” —Marina Warner, The Times Literary
Supplement
“Excellent . . . His beginnings are like invitations that cannot be
refused. . . . Pullman shows how completely he understands the
Grimms. . . . [He] pays homage to the Brothers’ pioneer work and
simultaneously breathes new life into a great, venerable tradition
of magical storytelling.” —Jack Zipes, Los Angeles Review of
Books
“A real pleasure to read . . . This is the kind of writing that
stands up to years of bedtime repetition. . . . The author’s best
appearances are in the notes, which are often as entertaining as
the stories themselves. . . . Swiftness and clarity, he says, were
his guiding principles; to which he has added wit and invention. .
. . Beautiful or grotesque, the mad poetry of these tales is often
delightfully funny too.” —The Economist
“A fresh, sparkling collection of the finest stories from the
Brothers Grimm, hand-picked by an author perfectly suited to the
task. This volume is a must-have for any lover of fairy tales. . .
. In the hands of a master storyteller such as Pullman, the
Grimms’s tales take on a whole new life.” —Library Journal (starred
review)
“A wonderfully rich reading experience . . . Stylish in its
simplicity [and with] a salutary clarity and directness . . . In
addition to his elegant introduction, [Pullman] concludes each tale
with his own always interesting commentary. . . . There are, of
course, any number of English-language versions and editions of
Grimm, but few are as felicitous in their telling as Pullman’s. His
book surely belongs on the same shelf as the very best of those
that appeal to general readers of all ages.” —Booklist (starred
review)
“Readers will enjoy not only returning to European fantasy’s roots
but seeing how the tree still blooms. . . . Smooth narration makes
every tale accessible while keeping the mystical and lyrical
qualities that make fairy tales so beloved.” —Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“You didn’t know you needed to reread Grimm. You do. This is a
grand and a great book. With confidence and modesty alike, Pullman
adds just enough Pullman to remind us that the oldest stories are
always best told by someone who knows how to do the job of
storytelling. No grandstanding here, no posturing or poesy-making.
Pullman selects familiars and exotics, and gives us the goods
anew—the ashes never grittier, the golden shoes never more lively,
and the teller’s notes concise, witty, scholarly even. Older
Grimms—put them on the top of the bookcase. This one needs to be
closer to hand. I read it ravenously, rapturously.”—Gregory
Maguire, author of Wicked and Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak
Appreciation
“I could not imagine a better emissary for the Brothers Grimm than
Philip Pullman. His translations have the timeless quality of a
voice speaking in a quiet room, at once ancient and immediate to
the senses. What a pleasure it is to be reacquainted with these
stories in all their swiftness, wonder, horror, and charm.” —Kevin
Brockmeier, author of The Brief History of the Dead
“Philip Pullman’s Grimm is quite eloquent, and his commentary is
witty and historically accurate. There is no doubt in my mind that
the Grimms would have been delighted with what he has
accomplished.” —Jack Zipes, Professor Emeritus, University of
Minnesota
“In this pitch-perfect retelling of the Grimms’ fairy tales, Philip
Pullman reminds us that the stories have lost none of their
relevance or racing energy, even two hundred years after they were
written down. As storyteller and sage, he preserves the flavors and
aromas of fine, old wines from times past and delivers them to us
in sparkling new bottles.” —Maria Tatar, Harvard University; author
of The Classic Fairy Tales
“I’ve admired Philip Pullman since his early fantasy Galatea on
through the splendid trilogy His Dark Materials. All of his gifts,
including his prose eloquence, and his endless high Romantic
imagination, are manifested in this marvelous retelling of Grimm.”
—Harold Bloom
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