> Since their deaths (Wilhelm in 1859, Jacob in 1863), so many legends have accrued about their lives and works that they almost seem fairy-tale figures themsel

> Since their deaths (Wilhelm in 1859, Jacob in 1863), so many legends have accrued about their lives and works that they almost seem fairy-tale figures themselves, quaint Hobbit-like creatures trawling the peasantry for stories. Nothing could be further from the truth, which is why Ann Schmiesing’s brief, eloquent and moving biography, The Brothers Grimm, is bound to prove enlightening to English-language readers. Huh, that is actually true: of course I knew they were real people, even when very young, but on an "emotional" level I've never thought of them as such. They were always mythical characters themselves, as if I couldn't separate them from their stories. Something that they share with Homer and… actually, that's it, really. What a strange thing to realize, I wonder how that happened?