Illustrating the Grimms' fairy tales in France: and overview (2000-2020)

Abstract

The Grimms’ fairy tales have been widely published in France twenty-first-century, and numerous illustrated editions can be found at all levels of legitimacy.  A closer look at this body of work shows, however, that the most significant contemporary creations come from outside France. Furthermore, the French collections of the tales often take up nineteenth-century illustrations; Franch publishers seem to be somewhat  reluctant to publish these tales, as they   rarely commission artists to create new illustrations. More recently, however, some books that deserve attention have been  produced by younger creators,  especially since the 2012 bicentenary celebrations that gave publishing a new impetus. As a result of this renewed interest, some tales have been published, sometimes for the first time, as single-tale picture-books in which the  predominant  illustrations play an important   part alongside the text. The aim of this article is to take stock of the  contemporary situation of  illustrated collections and  picturebooks of the Grimms’ fairy tales in France, ranging from reprints and to creations, between  tradition and  innovation.

Keywords: illustration,  Grimm, France,  collection, picturebook