Kate Bernheimer: 21 books

The Translucent Issue is a break from tradition. In some ways, colors are an easier, more obvious entry point into the world of fairy tales. It is not transparent, and thus never explicit on the page—the Brothers Grimm rarely editorialized—but then again psychology is rarely explicit. It is a partial...

“All great novels are great fairy tales,” wrote Vladimir Nabokov many years ago, and Fairy Tale Review continues to believe that all great literary works owe everything to fairy tales. In this issue you will find work represented that draws from the spectacular, old tradition of fairy tales in brilliant...

“At an early age, children are weaned on the marvelous, and later on they fail to retain a sufficient virginity of mind to enjoy fairy tales,” Andre Breton wrote in 1924. “There are fairy tales to be written for adults,” he continued. “Fairy tales almost blue.” Violet flowers are often described...

Fairy Tale Review is an annual literary publication dedicated to publishing new fairy-tale fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. It seeks to expand the conversation about fairy tales among practitioners, scholars, and general readers. Contents reflect a diverse spectrum of literary artists working with fairy...

Brown is the color of the wolf, of the harvest-ravaged farm, of thatched roofs, of cinnamon cake, of autumn, of snuff, of wooden boxes (bridal chests, watch cases, humidors, coffins). If ever there was a color more suited to earthly existence, it’s the color of earth itself. And earthly existence is at the very heart of fairy tales, despite all the unearthly circumstances depicted.

Like all fairy tales, the story of Little Red gets strength from its multitudes. It is a moving hive, a travelling pack of translations and interpretations too numerous to catalogue. It manages to examine our most salient tropes in binaries, and the equators formed in this contrast are tangential contradictions:...

This hilarious, over-the-top story is perfect for any little girl who doesn't like to brush her hair. What happens when our heroine neglects her long tresses? Well, one day a mouse comes to live in a particularly tangled lock. Soon after, more mice move in, and the girl's unruly mop is transformed...