Jacob Grimm

Jacob Grimm

Jacob Grimm was born on January 4th, 1785. Jacob passed away September 20th, 1863 at 78 years old. Jacob Grimm was born in Hanau, Hesse-Kassel, Germany.

Jacob Grimm is known for writing in the Fantasy, Children's Books, and Classics genres.

Jacob Grimm has a brother who is also an author, Wilhelm Grimm.

Jacob Grimm was a German folklorist, author, jurist, philologist, and linguist. His claim to fame was his work with his brother, Wilhelm Grimm, to collect and rewrite German folklore, which they compiled into the Grimms’ Fairy Tales.

Over the decades, Grimms’ Fairy Tales would become a collection of stories numbering in the hundreds. They would also come to reflect a wide range of oral storytelling and cultural traditions.

Outside of his work in fairy tales, Jacob Grimm studied history and language in depth. His work on German mythology was critical to understanding ancient German beliefs and their significant influence on their culture.

Grimm was also involved in the creation of a German dictionary intended to document the meaning and development of the German language. This was an extensive project that would outlive him, finally completed by other scholars.

For much of his life, Jacob Grimm worked in government offices, universities, and libraries. He usually worked with his brother for most of his work, and they developed a reputation for careful research and scholarship.

At some point, Jacob and Wilhelm lost their jobs for standing up against changes made by the King of Hanover, Ernest Augustus. Jacob Grimm later resumed scholarly work in Berlin under Prussian King Frederick William IV. He also worked with Friedrich Carl von Savigny, who influenced his interest in history.

In 1812, Jacob Grimm teamed up with Wilhelm Grimm to publish The Complete Grimms’ Fairy Tales. This is a large collection of folktales they found in German oral folklore. The work includes many popular tales, such as Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, and Cinderella, as well as many less popular ones. Many of the folktales include moral lessons, challenges, magic, and clear distinctions between good and evil. It is a work that showcases the storytelling styles, beliefs and cultural traditions of earlier European society.

In the 1812 published work Cinderella, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm tell the story of a girl mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella is forced to perform backbreaking work and is not allowed to attend the royal ball with her stepsisters. However, she manages to attend the ball with help from paranormal forces. But the rules are that she needs to leave before midnight. Dashing out of the ball just before midnight, she leaves a shoe behind, which helps the prince who had taken a liking to her to locate her. It ends with Conderella getting the recognition and place she deserved. It is a story that asserts the importance of justice, patience, and kindness, emphasizing that good character will ultimately receive the rewards it deserves.

Jacob Grimm: Lists & Other Mentions

• The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales: BBC: Radio Oxford 100 Books You Must Read Before You Die Selection in 2020.

Related Authors

Fans of Jacob Grimm also enjoy these authors:

1. Lewis Carroll, author of the Alice in Wonderland Series.
2. A.A. Milne, author of the Winnie-the-Pooh Series.
3. L. Frank Baum, author of the Oz Series.
4. J.M. Barrie, author of the Peter Pan Series.
5. Michael Ende, author of: The Neverending Story.
6. C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles Of Narnia Series.
7. Lemony Snicket, author of the A Series Of Unfortunate Events Series.
8. Maurice Sendak, author of: Where the Wild Things Are.
9. Alice Hoffman, author of the Practical Magic Series.
10. Heather Fawcett, author of the Emily Wilde Series.

Jacob Grimm: F.A.Q