How, at times, I want to go back to childhood. To carelessly play on the street with friends, climb trees, tell scary stories, hiding in a closet, and read your favorite children's works. However, in order to read fairy tales it is not necessary to rewind time. This genre of works is loved by both adults and children. The famous brothers Grimm occupy a special place among the storytellers. The biography of scientific writers, unlike their creations, cannot boast of unexpected twists.
Childhood
The biography of the Grimm brothers originates in Germany, in the city of Hanau am Main. The first of the duo was born Jacob. His birthday dates back to January 4, 1785. A year later, a month and twenty days later his brother William came to the world. We can say that since then the boys became inseparable: their friendship was continuous until his death. The family of brothers belonged to the middle stratum of the population of Germany. Their father served as a lawyer. It is worth noting that the brothers complemented each other's friend: Jacob was strong, courageous and very hardy. While William was not distinguished by good health.
10 years after the birth of their second brother, their father died, leaving his wife and children in a very difficult financial situation. Aunt from the maternal side helped them survive and get an education. The student biography of the Grimm brothers is a description of the brilliant successes of young men in the educational process. They were the best at the Kassel Lyceum. After graduation, the brothers were admitted to the University of Marburg. There they planned to study law, in order to then follow in the footsteps of their father. In parallel with the classes at the university, at leisure, the children excitedly read the literature: German and foreign.
Literature in the life of the Brothers Grimm
In 1803, the biography of the Grimm brothers changes the course of their narrative. The turning point is the publication of “Songs of the Minnesingers” of the then-popular romance of Theck. The preface to this creation was the magically affecting youth consciousness information about German folklore. The Brothers Grimm immediately realized their true purpose - they were sent to this world in order to devote themselves to literature and science.
The brothers broke up for the first and last time in 1805, when Jacob had a scientific visit to Paris. After that, they were always together: they shared both shelter and food. From 1805 to 1809, the eldest of the brothers worked as a librarian and auditor in Wilhelmsgegg. Soon after the end of the war with France, Jacob was instructed to go to Paris in order to return copies of books taken away by the French.
In 1812, they published a collection of "Children's and Family Tales", thanks to which their name became known to millions of children and adults around the world. Jacob was predicted a diplomatic career, but this did not even inspire enthusiasm in any of the brothers. They choose a service in the Kassel library, and in 1816, Jacob joins Wilhelm, who has already worked in the library for two years.
The next four years they devoted to scientific research. In 1825, the biography of the Grimm brothers replenishes his pages with a description of an important event in the life of William: he marries.
Future life
Four years later, the authorities in the library of Kassel. Disagreeing with the personnel changes, Jacob and Wilhelm resign. By that time, they had become widely known in the scientific world thanks to their work. Jacob is invited as a professor of German literature and a senior librarian at the University of Gottingen. Wilhelm also settles in this institution.
After some time, both brothers were dismissed due to political accusations against the new King of Hanover. They returned back to Kassel. This event occurred in 1837. Three years later, Frederick-Wilhelm of Prussia ascended the German throne and elected the Grimm brothers to the famous Berlin Academy of Sciences. This gave them the opportunity to give lectures at the best educational institution in the country - Berlin University. In the capital of Germany, they lived the rest of their lives. William died in 1859 on December 16. His older brother lived four years longer and died on September 20, 1863.
Numerous works devoted to philology, more than two hundred fairy tales and a huge role in the study of German folklore are the heritage that the talented brothers Grimm left behind. The biography — a short or long story of their biography — cannot fully reflect the efforts that Jacob and Wilhelm put in to be remembered for centuries as the “founders of German literature,” the authors of Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel and many other amazing stories.