![]() ![]() Most of the innovation occurs in the story’s beginning pages. Within the tale of two lost, starving children who outwit an old woman in a house comprised of various desserts, Gaiman uses a newfound sense of context and logic that bolsters the whimsical elements of this classic yarn. Also unsurprising, the best parts of this lithe, 49-page picture book are often its least familiar. Reinterpretations, as far as fairy tales are concerned, are par for the course, especially considering that the Brothers Grimm were consumate collectors and retellers - not original authors. ![]() ![]() Commenting on editor Maria Tatar’s in-text commentary, Gaiman notes that “”Hansel and Gretel” is a tale driven by food and hunger from a time when, for the peasantry, eating until you were full was a pipe dream.” Unsurprisingly, the author behind such modern fairy tale classics as Stardust and The Ocean at the End of the Lane opts for a sharp, untempered fantasy with a foundation firmly rooted in harsh realities. Neil Gaiman foreshadowed his new rendition of Hansel & Gretel in, of all places, a review he wrote for The New York Times on The Annotated Brothers Grimm. ![]()
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