The Poets' Grimm: 20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales

Those who know my literary tastes well will be shocked to learn that I have voluntarily read an entire book of 20th century poetry, most of which didn't even rhyme.

However, anyone who knows my ongoing fascination with fairy tales won't be surprised to learn that I read an entire book of poetry based Grimm's fairy tales.

This book is so rich and dense that it's hard to review the entire thing. It feels like having to review an entire shelf of books. All I can say is that anyone interested in fairy tale retellings or the echoes of fairy tales in modern culture will find this book to be a critical resource. I especially enjoyed reading different takes on very common stories (Cinderella, Snow White) as well as being reminded of or introduced show more to more obscure stories (The Six Swans, The Robber Bridegroom).

I have two small quibbles with this book. First, although the title makes reference to Grimm's fairy tales, several of the books make clear reference to other versions of those tales. (E.g., by making reference to glass slippers or fairy godmothers.) Second, this book mostly focuses on poetry from the end of the 20th century. However, the compilers make it clear that they are aware of both of these limitations and have made those choices consciously. (In choosing poetry from the end of the century, they were trying not to duplicate the work of Wolfgang Mieder in his 1985 book "Disenchantments: An Anthology of Modern Fairy Tale Poetry," to which this volume may be considered a companion.)

Highly recommended. show less