The Castle of Truth and Other Revolutionary Tales
A collection of radical political fairy tales—some in English for the first time—from one of the great female practitioners of the genre

Hermynia Zur Mühlen (1883–1951), one of the twentieth century’s great political writers, was not seemingly destined for a revolutionary, unconventional literary career. Born in Vienna to an aristocratic Catholic family, Zur Mühlen married an Estonian count. But she rebelled, leaving her upper-class life to be with the Hungarian writer and Communist Stefan Klein, and supporting herself through translations and publications. Altogether, Zur Mühlen wrote thirty novels, mysteries, and story collections, and translated around 150 works, including those of Upton Sinclair, John Galsworthy, and Edna Ferber. A wonderful new addition to the Oddly Modern Fairy Tales series, The Castle of Truth and Other Revolutionary Tales presents English readers with a selection of Zur Mühlen’s best political fairy tales, some translated from German for the first time.

In contrast to the classical tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, Zur Mühlen’s candid, forthright stories focus on social justice and the plight of the working class, with innovative plots intended to raise the political consciousness of readers young and old. For example, in “The Glasses,” readers are encouraged to rip off the glasses that deceive them, while in “The Carriage Horse,” horses organize a union to resist their working and living conditions. In “The Broom,” a young worker learns how to sweep away injustice.

With an informative introduction by Jack Zipes and period illustrations by George Grosz, John Heartfield, Heinrich Vogeler, and Karl Holtz, The Castle of Truth and Other Revolutionary Tales revives the legacy of a notable female artist whose literary and political work remains relevant in our own time.

1134504384
The Castle of Truth and Other Revolutionary Tales
A collection of radical political fairy tales—some in English for the first time—from one of the great female practitioners of the genre

Hermynia Zur Mühlen (1883–1951), one of the twentieth century’s great political writers, was not seemingly destined for a revolutionary, unconventional literary career. Born in Vienna to an aristocratic Catholic family, Zur Mühlen married an Estonian count. But she rebelled, leaving her upper-class life to be with the Hungarian writer and Communist Stefan Klein, and supporting herself through translations and publications. Altogether, Zur Mühlen wrote thirty novels, mysteries, and story collections, and translated around 150 works, including those of Upton Sinclair, John Galsworthy, and Edna Ferber. A wonderful new addition to the Oddly Modern Fairy Tales series, The Castle of Truth and Other Revolutionary Tales presents English readers with a selection of Zur Mühlen’s best political fairy tales, some translated from German for the first time.

In contrast to the classical tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, Zur Mühlen’s candid, forthright stories focus on social justice and the plight of the working class, with innovative plots intended to raise the political consciousness of readers young and old. For example, in “The Glasses,” readers are encouraged to rip off the glasses that deceive them, while in “The Carriage Horse,” horses organize a union to resist their working and living conditions. In “The Broom,” a young worker learns how to sweep away injustice.

With an informative introduction by Jack Zipes and period illustrations by George Grosz, John Heartfield, Heinrich Vogeler, and Karl Holtz, The Castle of Truth and Other Revolutionary Tales revives the legacy of a notable female artist whose literary and political work remains relevant in our own time.

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The Castle of Truth and Other Revolutionary Tales

The Castle of Truth and Other Revolutionary Tales

The Castle of Truth and Other Revolutionary Tales

The Castle of Truth and Other Revolutionary Tales

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Overview

A collection of radical political fairy tales—some in English for the first time—from one of the great female practitioners of the genre

Hermynia Zur Mühlen (1883–1951), one of the twentieth century’s great political writers, was not seemingly destined for a revolutionary, unconventional literary career. Born in Vienna to an aristocratic Catholic family, Zur Mühlen married an Estonian count. But she rebelled, leaving her upper-class life to be with the Hungarian writer and Communist Stefan Klein, and supporting herself through translations and publications. Altogether, Zur Mühlen wrote thirty novels, mysteries, and story collections, and translated around 150 works, including those of Upton Sinclair, John Galsworthy, and Edna Ferber. A wonderful new addition to the Oddly Modern Fairy Tales series, The Castle of Truth and Other Revolutionary Tales presents English readers with a selection of Zur Mühlen’s best political fairy tales, some translated from German for the first time.

In contrast to the classical tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, Zur Mühlen’s candid, forthright stories focus on social justice and the plight of the working class, with innovative plots intended to raise the political consciousness of readers young and old. For example, in “The Glasses,” readers are encouraged to rip off the glasses that deceive them, while in “The Carriage Horse,” horses organize a union to resist their working and living conditions. In “The Broom,” a young worker learns how to sweep away injustice.

With an informative introduction by Jack Zipes and period illustrations by George Grosz, John Heartfield, Heinrich Vogeler, and Karl Holtz, The Castle of Truth and Other Revolutionary Tales revives the legacy of a notable female artist whose literary and political work remains relevant in our own time.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780691201252
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: 04/21/2020
Series: Oddly Modern Fairy Tales , #16
Pages: 216
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jack Zipes is the translator of The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm and editor of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (both Princeton), as well as editor of The Great Fairy Tale Tradition (Norton). He is professor emeritus of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vii

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: The Red Countess and Her Revolutionary Vision 1

A Note on the Illustrators 17

Tales

1 Three Tales from What Little Peter's Friends Told Him (Was Peterchens Freunde erzählen, 1921) 21

The Coal's Story (Was die Kohle erzählt, 1921) 21

The Matchbox's Story (Was die Streichholzschachtel erzählt, 1921) 26

The Water Bottle's Story (Was die Flasche erzählt, 1921) 32

2 Why? (Warum?, 1922) 40

3 The Rose Bush (Der Rosenstock, 1922) 54

4 Ali, the Carpet Weaver (Ali, der Teppichweber, 1923) 64

5 The Glasses (Die Brillen, 1923) 75

6 The Servant (Der Knecht, 1923) 83

7 The Troublemakers (Die Störenfriede, 1923) 96

8 The Castle of Truth (Das Schloβ der Wahrheit, 1924) 110

9 The Broom (Der Besen, 1924) 120

10 The Carriage Horse (Der Droschkengaul, 1924) 127

11 The Collaborator (Die Bundesgenossin, 1924) 136

12 The Miraculous Wall (Die Wundermauer, 1924) 141

13 The Monkeys and the Whip (Die Affen und die Peitsche, 1924) 151

14 The Fence (Der Zaun, 1924) 154

15 The Red Flag (Die rote Fahne, 1930) 161

16 The Crown of the King of Domnonee (1944) 173

17 The Story of the Wise Judge (1944) 179

Bibliography 183

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A female writer who is both a socialist and an aristocrat is certainly an unusual combination. Hermynia Zur Mühlen’s thoroughly entertaining tales are unique and offer political lessons. An outstanding translation, this excellent collection will appeal not only to scholars in various disciplines but also to general readers."—Elisabeth Krimmer, author of German Women’s Life Writing and the Holocaust

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