Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) was a Danish poet and author. Born to a shoemaker and a washerwoman, Andersen worked as an actor and a tailor’s apprentice before becoming a writer. Although he wrote many plays, novels, poems, and travelogues, Andersen is best known for his fairy tales. His birthday, April 2, is celebrated as International Children’s Book Day.
The Brothers Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were scholars best known for their lifelong dedication to collecting and publishing ancient German folk tales. Their groundbreaking Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Household Tales) was published in seven different editions between 1812 and 1857 and brought to the world’s attention such unforgettable characters as Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, and Snow White.
According to legend, Aesop (620–564 BCE) spent much of his early life as a slave before earning his freedom with cleverness. No trace of his original writings survives, but Aesop’s fables were transcribed by others and passed down through the ages. In 1484 the first printed edition spurred a wave of translations around the world. Today his tales of moral instruction are some of the most cherished stories in the world.
Andrew Lang (1844-1912) was a Scottish scholar and writer, best known for his folklore and mythological tales. After college, he moved to London and began working as a journalist. He began collecting fairytales and folklore stories for his first collection, The Blue Fairy Book. The Fairy Books contained hundreds of pages of folklore stories, which Lang edited while his wife helped translate. Receiving acclaim, the books totaled in 427 stories combined in twelve collections. Lang also produced his own original writing, including novels, literary criticism, and poetry, but his work did not attain the same literary recognition.