It's Almost Fairy Tale Ring Time Down Under! (Tale of the Month: Rapunzel)

Each month the AFTS (Australian Fairy Tale Society) gathers together fairy tale aficionados in each state* to discuss a particular fairy tale and it's impact on society, with special emphasis on its use, effect, and how it's perceived (past and present) in Australia. Headed by the amazing Jo Henwood, the rings bring together people from all backgrounds and disciplines and cover everything from art to academic studies, history to advertising, books to music and much, much more... (all while having yummy munchies, delicious teas and coffees and sharing laughs and awesome conversations with like-minded people!)

A lovely Rapunzel by Aussie artist Deann Cumner

A recommended reading list is put together (and wrangled) by Jo each month and with Rapunzel being the theme for July, you wouldn't immediately think Australians would have much to say...

Well it appears there is no lack of things to discuss when is comes to Rapunzel! 

The list has continued to grow daily with suggestions from all quarters (of the world!) and Jo is busy spinning it all together it all into a handy reference for research, inspiration and discussion gold. 

Although the emphasis is on Australian involvement and impact, it's a fascinating list for anyone interested in fairy tales and especially in Rapunzel. We should be posting it in the next day or so over on the AFTS website as well as the Facebook page so if you're interested… stay tuned!

Australian illustrator & artist Shaun Tan's
sculpture of Rapunzel

For those interested in attending a ring, please contact Jo Henwood for details of time and place in your area: jo7hanna AT tpg DOT com DOT au

*ANNOUNCEMENT for ALL FAIRY TALE FOLK WORLDWIDE: 

We know there are both Aussie fairy tale folk and AFTS members abroad, (I'm one of them) as well as other fairy tale interested folks who would be interested in participating in our discussion no matter where they call home, so we're just beginning to discuss ideas on how to make the rings accessible to far flung Oz folk (like our people in the far West of Australia in Perth), the more rural areas around Down Under and also for members and other interested people overseas. We hope to be trying out some different ways on bringing far-flung fairy tale folk together in the months to come!

Fairy Tale Bonus of the Day:

Art book of Rapunzel created by Australian artist Jac Balmer for the BookArtObject exchange project a few years back. (Also see her Twelve Dancing Princesses book at the link on her name!)

"'Rapunzel' is a digitally printed concertina book from original artwork by Jac... It comes wrapped in a lovely simply wrap around cover. Which you open to see the front cover of the book - enticing tracery of thorns and brambles? The book opens with visually stunning artwork of Rapunzel, the forest, the castle window, so many things to discover in here... It is a small but sumptuous book, filled with imagery and meaning that requires time to be spent with it, to wander back and forth through the images, discovering nuggets anew each time."

(from Paperwork Ponderings, recipient of this lovely work! Check the link for more photos of the book.)

"The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship" Read by Robin Williams

Unable to decipher who the artist is sorry!

I found this recording on Tumblr and had to share, once I tracked down a better version. I had no idea Robin Williams had recorded this fairy tale. He did this project the year before he played the Genie in Disney's animated film Aladdin. It's hilarious, classic. I don't think we'll ever stop missing that guy and the way he made us laugh...

This runs about 30 minutes and is completely suitable for kids to be listening to, in fact, that's recommended.

Take a listen:

Ask Baba Yaga: How Do I Keep Politics From Destroying My Relationship With My Family?

Vaslisa the Beautiful by toerning

Hoo boy! BIG subject. And the less I say, probably the better, so I'll leave it to the expert.

Here's today's question and answer (via poet and oracle Taisia Kitaiskaia* of The Hairpin):

(Originally posted at The Hairpin HERE)

Can we send this out as a PSA do you think? If people kept this perspective it would help so very much... in pretty much all things.

What do you think of Baba Yaga's advice?

Want to ask Baba Yaga a question of your own?

You can!

There's now an email address where you can send your questions

directly to Baba Yaga herself.

AskBabaYaga AT gmail DOT com

To encourage Baba Yaga to continue imparting her no-bones-about-it wisdom (ok, there may be some gristle in there... bones too), I suggest we not to leave her box empty... 

Thank you Baba Yaga (& Taisia).

* Taisia Kitaiskaia is a poet, writer, and Michener Center for Writers fellow. Born in Russia and raised in America, she's had her poems and translations published in Narrative Magazine, Poetry International, and others.

Annie Leibovitz Inspired by Nordic Sagas, Slavic Folklore & The Snow Queen for Fashion Shoot

Annie Leibovitz is well associated with fairy tale themed shoots, so much so she is the official photographer-on-call for the Disney Theme Park shoots (which are live action interpretations of a scene from the animated movies). While those shoots are often very creative and do bring some surprises, I always find it most interesting when she steps outside the Disney properties and works with folk and fairy tales for fashion (often for Vogue).

Drew Barrymore's Beauty and the Beast shoot wasn't a Disney shoot, and you can see a lot of 'thinking outside the mold' in that one, which is wonderful. Keira Knightly's Wizard of Oz shoot remains striking, as does her Alice fashion photography with super model, Natalia Vodyanova.

This campaign was for a company called Moncler and shot in the stunning Icelandic landscape with two up-and-comers on the model scene, a Mormon brother and sister duo from Utah. For this shoot, touting the stylish warmth of this company's clothing, the Snow Queen makes an appearance. I'm always fascinated by how this character is interpreted when it comes to fashion but I have to say, I expected something a little more land-based (as in using the landscape forms of Iceland) rather than something that reminded me of the White Queen from Narnia (which I like better), still they're nice storytelling photos.

One Spanish website (Totumrevolutum) explains the concept of the shoot by summarizing the fairy tale:

"The Snow Queen" (Snedronningen) is a fantasy novel written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1845, which tells of the struggle between good and evil experienced by two children, Kay and Gerda.

And from a report discussing the shoot, via the Daily Mail:

The stunning images show Lucky and Pyper keeping warm in a range of Moncler's signature quilted outerwear, while navigating the rugged landscapes, from colossal ice formations to wind-sculpted rocks. 

Annie Leibovitz directs Lucky in a frozen woodland as he is captured by the Snow Queen

The Moncler campaign was apparently inspired by 'Nordic sagas and traditional Russian and Slavic folklore' - here Lucky encounters the Snow Queen on his travels.

You can see more photos from the shoot HERE, as well as more behind-the-scenes pics too, which I think are completely worth the click-through, just to see the incredible landscape.

Disney Live Action List Adds Aladdin Prequel "Genies"

This news is not at all surprising but I am wondering exactly how long they're going to push this retread trend.

From ComingSoon:

The project, currently titled Genies, is designed to serve as an origin story of sorts for the djinn famously voiced by the late Robin Williams in Disney’s 1992 feature film version of the classic Arabian tale.

According to the outlet, the film will explore the “realm of the Genies” and explain how one became trapped inside the iconic lamp. The long term hope, then, is for Genies to develop as a franchise and pave the way for a live-action retelling of Aladdin itself.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

The studio is developing Genies, a live-action comedy adventure that is being written by Damian Shannon andMark Swift. Tripp Vinson is on board to produce via his Vinson Films banner. 

Aladdin is a centuries-old Arabic folk tale that got the animated Disney treatment in 1992 in a film featuring Robin Williams as the voice of the blue-skinned Genie. 

The movie tells the story of Aladdin, a street urchin who finds a lamp that unleashes a Genie who grants him three wishes. A love interest and a sorcerer also figure into the proceedings. 

The new project would focus on the realm of the Genies and reveal how Aladdin's Genie ended up enslaved in the lamp.

So, did you get that? "Genies" is a prequel live action comedy film prequel, which, if is successful will pave the way for a live-action remake of the original 1992 animated film Aladdin. (So, they're sort of hinting at, at least two Aladdin related projects here!)

Wow. Talk about stretching the franchise.  If there's one property that might stretch enough to work with this plan, though, it's probably this one, IF they get the cultural emphasis and portrayal correct (that's a big "if"), no matter whether they go with (old world) Arabian, Arabic or Chinese characters, or a combination.

For a little behind the scenes history of Aladdin, have a read of Tales of Faerie's post from a a couple of years ago HERE.

BalletLorent Teams Up Again with Carol Ann Duffy & Doctor Who Composer to Create a New "Snow White"

Details are a little sketchy but here's the overview, care of TheLowry:

balletLORENT's dark and mystical adaptation of Snow White is created from an original retelling by Carol Ann Duffy, and reimagines the story of a mother’s poisonous jealousy in a dance theatre production for family audiences. Thwarted desire, deception, compassion and redemption with magical mirrors, and a young woman with beauty as pure as feathered snow. 

Snow White is the second chapter of a planned trilogy of Brothers Grimm fairytales created by balletLORENT, which began with the highly acclaimed Rapunzel (Performance of the Year, The Journal Culture Awards 2012).

There's also a great Kickstarter happening in conjunction with the project, called the Snow White Young Cast project.

Giving children with little to no access to the arts the opportunity to be part of a professional dance production. 

Snow White, the second in dance theatre company balletLORENT’s planned trilogy of fairytales, will see the company’s professional dancers joined by a young cast of children aged between 6 – 8 years old and unique to each middle-large scale theatre that Snow White tours to. We are raising money through Kickstarter to be able to widen our reach to children with natural talent but little access to dance and the arts. 

Our young casts will rehearse and perform with our professional dancers, giving them the valuable experience of working with a professional dance company. We ran a similar model alongside our last fairytale, Rapunzel – but this time, our main aim is to engage with more children who have had little to no access to the arts, or previous dance experience.

You can read more about the 'young cast' project HERE.

And you can see another Snow White workshop video with different groups of children HERE as well.

Sounds intriguing, no? From what I can gather, it appears this production is set to premiere in October this year (2015), in Newcastle, UK.

I have to look up Duffy's poetry again, but especially her newer release for children in late 2014, to get more of an idea of where they're headed with this. The one promotional photo available from the production (in two variations) is quite intriguing...

I think there's a good chance the story will be based off her work in this book, however, published late last year, with illustrations by the amazing Tomislav Tomic. I have included the cover of Duffy's gorgeous looking book, and Tomic's two Snow White illustrations below:

"Disappear to faraway lands of wicked witches, evil monsters and brave heroines in Carol Ann Duffy’s stunning collection of Faery Tales, beautiful illustrated by Tomislav Tomic. This gift set collection of stories is a published just in time for Christmas, by Faber and Faber. Tomislav has created ethereal images of the Poet Laureate’s interpretations of classic stories such as Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and the Pied Piper of Hamelin. He also designed and hand rendered the illuminated letters throughout the book as well as the title for the cover."

Now if I could just get a hold of the actual book..!

Beware of Playwright With Axe to G̶r̶i̶n̶d̶, er, Wield

Douglas Gordon with taxidermied wolf

I barely know how to title this news, or how to comment. This reaction by the writer/director/actor of Neck of the Woods (loosely based on Red Riding Hood), says so many things, none of which qualifies as an "artistic statement" (though it's clear he wishes it was taken as such).

From ArtNetNews:

After critics axed Douglas Gordon's play, "Neck of the woods," the 1996 Turner-Prize winning artist took an axe, literally, to the newly-opened theater complex in Manchester where the play was staged, taking out a chunk of wall. He then drew what appears to be a claw around the damaged part—and signed it... 

The play—which premiered last weekend as part of the Manchester International Festival (MIF)—is conceived as a re-telling Little Red Riding Hood, and designed to be as frightening to adults as the original story is to children. Little Red Riding Hood is saved from the belly of a wolf by a woodcutter, so the show features several axes. The axe used for the attack is believed to be a stage prop. 

...But the critics weren't impressed. The Daily Telegraph said the play had "the unmistakable whiff of a vanity project,"... 

Meanwhile, the Guardian described it as a "humourless and sedate Red Riding Hood retelling" that "takes itself very seriously" and is "so old-fashioned you wonder if Gordon has any familiarity at all with contemporary theater."

So it didn't turn out as expected. (There's a post, on what seemed to be a promising play, HERE.) That happens all the time. People - and plays - get bad reviews all the time, and, yes, it's tough, but it's part of the business. If this was for publicity, it was a very expensive, largely ineffective stunt, which adds up to bad business all round.

(So tempting to talk about the "imitation" of life here, what with taxidermied wolves in the mix too...)

I'm disappointed that someone who apparently immersed themselves so fully into the Red Riding Hood fairy tale as well as peeling back the dark nature of man and the true nature of wolf, would resort to such a thing. Apart from anything else, it's not very creative and really just says "tantrum".

Beware indeed.

Victo Ngai's Gorgeous Illustrations for Folio Society's "Chinese Fairy Tales & Fantasies"

I'm not sure why this is coming up in searches as it's been out for a while now, but I've seen more than one mention of the Folio Society's beautiful edition of Chinese Fairy Tales & Fantasies recently.

Since it is still fairly new (mid 2014 release) and there are probably a bunch of you who haven't seen Victo Ngai's stunning work, I thought I'd share some of the illustrations. (She's a fairly prolific artist and quite generous in sharing her process and sketches around social media so do a search and you should find her easily. I suggest starting with her Tumblr HERE.By the way,"Victo", is short for Victoria - a British colonization leftover nickname in Hong Kong.)

From the Epoch Times:

In the volume are eight full-color illustrations by Hong Kong artist Victo Ngai, whose delicate lines and otherwise concise figures are accentuated by her powerful use of color and contrast—the result is a welcome sense of dreamlike, otherworldly fascination.      

Contrasting abruptly with the visions encountered in the legends and fables is the preface, written by award-winning writer Yiyun Li. Raised in Beijing, her words, reflecting the contemporary materialism of the Chinese regime’s Marxist education, express a sort of uncanny bewilderment at the deep spiritual and mystical nature of the legends and folktales. What results is a clash of two identities: one Marxist, empirical, official; the other Chinese, cyclical, traditional.

This edition from the Folio Society (which you can find HERE) currently retails for about $75.00 - not cheap! The volume is designed to be a treasure for a lifetime bookshelf though, and I wouldn't say no to owning one (who am I kidding, I'd pretty much say "yes" to Folio version of almost anything but any fairy tale volumes - "yes please!")

I definitely recommend going to the Folio link and reading the introduction by Moss Roberts - fascinating stuff! It gives a wonderful summary of the uniqueness of Chinese fairy tales and why there is a proliferation of ghosts in their tales, as well as the types of tales that are common (as opposed to different emphasis in other cultures). It also explains why Chinese fairy tales tend to 'resolve' the way they do. As I said, fascinating stuff!

"The Wild Girl" by Kate Forsyth GIVEAWAY! (Entry details)

"The Brothers Grimm left one tale untold..."

Once upon a time there were six sisters.

The pretty one, the musical one, the clever one, the helpful one, the young one... 

And then there was the Wild one.

Dortchen Wild has loved Wilhelm Grimm since she as a young girl. Under the forbidding shadow of her father and the tyranny of Napoleon's army, the pair meet secretly to piece together a magical fairy tale collection.

The story behind the stories of the Brothers Grimm.

Thanks to the lovely folks at St. Martin's Press, we're having a GIVEAWAY! 

There's been a lot of buzz over the US release of Kate Forsyth's book The Wild Girl, including here at Once Upon A Blog. We've been treated to a wonderful review HERE and most especially an exclusive 'Behind the Pages' interview with author Kate Forsyth herself HERE (complete with photos from her notebooks!).

To enter the giveaway all you have to do is help spread the word about Kate Forsyth's new (US edition) book in some way via any form of social media:

1. Link to the interview or the review or this giveaway post via some form of social media. You can use:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Tumblr
• Pinterest
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Any other social media platform!

2. Make sure your post is public so it can be verified as a valid entry. (This is especially important to double check if you're using Facebook. We had a number of entries in our last giveaway that couldn't be verified because we couldn't see them.)

3. Put the link, along with your name (especially important if you usually comment anonymously), in the comment section of this post at Once Upon A Blog.

4. Do this as many times as you wish BEFORE MIDNIGHT CA time on Friday July 31st, 2015 (ONE entry per social media platform per day please - we don't want to spam people!)

5. Check back on Saturday August 1st at the end of the day to see who the lucky winner is, which will be announced, once our elves have finished verifying all the entries!

I will be placing a pinned post with a link to these instructions at the top of the blog shortly, to stay until the deadline for your easy reference.

Have fun and good luck!

"The Wild Girl" - Review by Christie Pang

"The Wild Girl"

by Kate Forsyth

Review by Christie Pang

Editor's Note: Here is Christie's promised review! (It's worth the wait, believe me.) 

And stay tuned today for all the details to enter our GIVEAWAY of this book! (for US residents only due to shipping sorry.)

Jacket description: 

"Dortchen Wild fell in love with Wilhelm Grimm the first time she saw him.

Growing up in the small German kingdom of Hessen-Cassel in early Nineteenth century, Dortchen Wild is irresistibly drawn to the boy next door, the young and handsome fairy tale scholar Wilhelm Grimm. 

It is a time of War, tyranny and terror. Napoleon Bonaparte wants to conquer all of Europe, and Hessen-Cassel is one of the first kingdoms to fall. Forced to live under oppressive French rule, the Grimm brothers decide to save old tales that had once been told by the firesides of houses grand and small all over the land.

Dortchen knows many beautiful old stories, such as 'Hansel and Gretel', 'The Frog King' and 'Six Swans'. As she tells them to Wilhelm, their love blossoms. Yet the Grimm family is desperately poor, and Dortchen's father has other plans for his daughter. Marriage is an impossible dream.

Dortchen can only hope that happy endings are not just the stuff of fairy tales."

           

 
International covers for Australia & UK and audiobook cover 

“Wild by name and wild by nature,” Dortchen Wild was the childhood sweetheart of Wilhelm Grimm and the heroine of Kate Forsyth’s latest novel The Wild Girl. The book follows the life of this extraordinary woman who supplied the brothers with many of their famous tales. ‘Hansel and Gretel,' 'Rumpelstiltskin,' and 'Six Swans' are all part of the treasury the Grimm brothers seek to collect when Napoleon's war comes to Hesse-Cassel. For Dortchen, however, these tales are not a political response against the French, nor a means to turn her family's fortune, but a way to communicate to Wilhelm the hopes and fears of her love for him.

In many ways, Dortchen’s life can be seen as a parallel to the tales she shares. Similar to 'Aschenputtel' (Cinderella), Dortchen is practically a kitchen maid to her family, although her sisters are kind to her. Later, she finds transformation by donning a beautiful dress to gain Wilhelm's attention. More disturbing, however, is her similarity to 'All-Kinds-of-Fur'. For those not familiar with the tale, the conflict revolves around a king trying to marry his daughter and went through drastic revisions in the Grimms’ treasury.  It quickly becomes apparent that Dortchen’s father harbors abusive tendencies and later it turns toward incest. But unlike her fairy tale counterpart, escape is not easily forthcoming for Dortchen. For much of the novel, the psychological effects of sexual trauma hold Dortchen a prisoner in her own skin. Jakob once tells Dortchen that she must fight for Wilhelm's affections, and fight she does, against the shadowy memory of her abusive father whose presence has power over her even after his death.  

Since Forsyth had little historical evidence to use from the writings of Dortchen herself, it’s fascinating to see how she explores what-could-have-been rather than adhering only to what-did-happen.  Notwithstanding, Forsyth's bibliography is extensive. She researched everything from the Grimms’ early manuscripts to contemporary analyses by fairy tale scholars. She even spoke with a descendant of Dortchen's brother. In light of the already extensive coverage of the Grimm's lives, it is refreshing to see Forsyth's evocative prose seamlessly transition research into fiction. Forsyth takes particular care to highlight the tellers of the tales themselves, elaborating on their middle class origins and dispelling the popular idea that they came from German peasantry. It is surprising that Dortchen’s place in history remains marginal considering that she contributed almost a quarter of the tales in the Grimm's first collection. Fortunately, through Forsyth, Dortchen is finally acknowledged.

Dortchen reminds us that the heroines and heroes of fairy tales are not flawless—they are always in search of something on their journeys. For Dortchen, it is the courage to overcome her fear of reliving abuse by another man (“I am trying to learn how to be brave,” she tells Wilhelm). And most importantly, it is also about reclaiming her freedom, the “wildness” her name alludes to.

The Wild Girl is not entirely a happy novel, nor is it a dark one. It is a beautiful historical romance on its own and a near true-to-life fairy tale told with touching detail of two lovers and their struggle to nourish that love despite the odds of war and trauma. Forsyth explores the silence around Dortchen's life by “listening to the story within the stories that she told,” bringing out the voice that was previously hidden by the stories that this woman treasured. The Wild Girl is a phenomenal retelling that enables us to read the Grimms’ fairy tales anew.

Disclosure: A complimentary copy of the book was sent to the reviewer (originally provided by the publishing company) in exchange for an honest review.

Christie Pang is a graduate student in English with a concentration in Creative Writing at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is also the curator for Pins and Needles (https://panfairytales.wordpress.com), a fledgling print and online fairy tale journal that foregrounds transformation in subverting societal norms.