The Brothers Grimm

The Brothers Grimm (Gebrüder Grimm), Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859), were born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, in the German state of Hesse.

The Brothers Grimm
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Throughout their lives they remained close friends. They were educated at the Friedrichsgymnasium in Kassel and later both read law at the University of Marburg.

In the very early 19th century, the time in which the Brothers Grimm lived, Germany as we know it today did not yet exist; it was basically a loose collection of principalities and small countries. The major unifying factor for the German people of the time was a common language. There was as yet no significant German literary history. So part of what motivated the brothers in their lives and in their writings was the desire to help create a German identity.

Jacob was a pioneer in the study of German philology, and although Wilhelm's work was hampered by poor health the brothers collaborated in the creation of a German dictionary, the Deutsches Wörterbuch, which was the first major step in creating a standardized "modern" German language since Martin Luther's translation of the bible from Latin to German. Being very extensive (more than 20 volumes) it is still considered as the standard reference for German etymology.

But the Brothers Grimm were best (and universally) known for the collection of over two hundred German folk tales they made from oral sources and published in two volumes of Kinder- und Hausmärchen ("Children's and Household Tales") in 1812 and 1814.

English translations of the 7th edition (1857) remain popular, and they exist now predominantly in versions intended for children, even though the folk tales that the Grimms had collected had not been previously considered stories for children.

Although their intention was to preserve such material as part of German cultural and literary history, and their collection was first published with scholarly notes and no illustration, the tales soon came into the possession of young readers. This was in part due to Edgar Taylor, who made the first English translation in 1823, selecting about fifty stories 'with the amusement of some young friends principally in view.' And Grimm's Fairy Tales have been an essential ingredient of children's reading ever since.

From 1837–1841, the Brothers Grimm joined five of their colleague professors at the University of Göttingen. This group came to be known as Die Göttinger Sieben (The Göttingen Seven). They protested against King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, whom they accused of violating the constitution of that state. For this, they were all fired from their university posts by the king.

The Brothers Grimm are buried in the St Matthäus Kirchhof Cemetary in Berlin - Schöneberg.