I am a voracious reader of fairy tales, young adult fiction, fantasy and anything related to teaching. I have always felt my love for children's literature stems from my childhood struggle learning to read. I was born with tiny ear canals and fused bones in my inner, which causes lots of ear infections and required five ear surgeries to "fix". As a result, I hated to read anything as it was often laborious. Eventually, I discovered the great escape of literature, but by then I only had time to read what was required of me during school. It wasn't until college that I really got to read what I wanted to read. I had a lot of catching up to do.
Traveling back to childhood is certainly a theme in my life (as you could probably tell by my profession). Much of the art and literature that inspires me harks back to my childhood, ideal or otherwise. Recently, I discovered
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. It follows the classic fairy tale plot line of boy-to-man, but it takes a twisted turn into a fantastically nightmarish world. You'll meet all the classic "helpers" and "villians", but it will be unlike anything you have ever imagined.
I love twisted fairy tales like those by Ursula Le Guin and Margaret Atwood, because I often feel like I had a classic childhood turned on its head. I'm also a bit mischievous. This is also why art like that of
The Little Fox,
Hidden Eloise,
Inside the Black Apple and
Mark Ryden really appeal to me. There's something just a bit off about those smiling girls of "unspecified age".
Do you know of any other modern versions of classic fairy tales? How about fairy tales with a twist (original Brother's Grimm don't count)?
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