The Grimm Brothers: More Than Just Fairy Tales
This review discusses Ann Schmiesing's biography, *The Brothers Grimm*. The book portrays the tumultuous lives of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, highlighting their contributions not only to children's literature with their famous fairy tales, but also to linguistics and folklore. Facing a volatile era and personal hardships, their perseverance and dedication to scholarship made them cornerstones of German national identity. The biography reveals both their academic triumphs and the complexities of their characters, including biases present in their work. However, their passion for freedom and scholarship shines through, making their story a legend of struggle, persistence, and national identity, transcending the fairy tales themselves.