The Fairy Tale That Gripped Russia

Discovered this article--The fairy tale that gripped Russia by Susan Roberts--and almost didn't click on it since it was on The Financial Times website. How pertinent could that be, I thought?

More than I first imagined. The article discusses a somewhat new trend in Russia--the creation of eco-settlements and living 'green' in general--partly fueled by new books written like traditional fairy tales. Richards does a wonderful job of describing the books and the trend and even includes a short excerpt of one of the books.

I had just flown into Moscow from London. Over supper my friend Sasha told me about an “eco-settlement” near his dacha. “There are about 200 of them – all inspired by this sort of modern fairy tale,” he said, handing me a book. On the cover a voluptuous blonde was rearing her head against a wild sky. The books had become something of a sensation, Sasha said. They’d sold 11 million copies and been translated into 20 languages. Outside the open window of the tall block the swifts were screeching softly as they dived through the evening air. Back in London I’d have laughed and told Sasha to pull the other one – but this was Russia and you can never be quite sure about these things.

Sasha said he had a friend who would show me an eco-settlement. So, to find out more, I took the book to bed. Crudely written, in a Mills-&-Boon-meets-Carlos-Castaneda way, it was a fable about a man who, while trading along the rivers of northern Siberia, encounters Anastasia, a young beauty living in the forest. The survivor of an ancient culture, Anastasia is endowed with extraordinary powers, ranging from bionic vision to teleportation. She bears his child. (As an ex-film producer, I was highly amused as this modest romance lurched into blockbuster-movie mode.) For, of course, it turns out that Anastasia is engaged in an epic battle to rescue mankind from the domination of “the priests” who have been working covertly for centuries to sever the link between man and the divine intelligence governing the universe ... Well, to cut a long fairy tale short, the man becomes Anastasia’s knight, and carries her message out to the world: the key to liberation lies through each person, each family, rebuilding their lost connection to the natural world.

So be it the retooling of old folklore or the creation of something new to inspire current generations, this sensation is fascinating on many levels. Even the illustration is reminiscent of Ivan Biliban's work, in a way tying the glorious elements of Russian's past with the present. Very clever marketing if nothing else.

Friday Nail Polish Giveaway Winner Week 2

We have our second week's winner of the Fairy Tale Nail Polish Giveaway (read more here). Using a random number selector, Heater became our second winner. She won a bottle of BB Couture Prince Charming Blue. I have already contacted her and received a reply.

I still have two more Fridays and two more bottles of polish to giveaway this month. All who have already entered and not won are still entered for the rest of the month. The contest machine will continue to accept new entries until the end of the contest, too.

Congratulations to Sprite (last week's winner), Heather and bonne chance to everyone else!

And thanks again to Kim at Overall Beauty for her donation to SurLaLune!

Fairy Tale Inspired: Bebaroque Hosiery

I discovered this article, Bebaroque is a real fairytale for designers Chloe and Mhairi, then had to go exploring, of course.

Bebaroque is based in the UK and offers fascinating hosiery designs, sometimes inspired by fairy tales and fairy tale illustrations. The inspiration is subtle and sometimes more apparent in name than appearance (see ones like Rapunzel and Gretel), but this doesn't mean the designs aren't beautiful. They are, or I wouldn't bother to write about them here. My particular favorite is the Limited Edition Tattoo My Body which I pictured above. Gretel is another favorite.

According to the article, the new Fall/Winter 2009 Collection was inspired by Russian fairy tales. For now, they design bodysuits and hosiery, but the article states they are considering adding a scarves line which I would love.

So while the fairy tale influence is subtle, it's always fun to see how fairy tales are inspiring creativity. I love textiles and always love to see beautiful designs like these.

New Ebook: Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie

Last year I acquired a Kindle so I could more easily take multiple books with me while traveling. I quickly discovered that while I love books, I also love the convenience of an ebook reader and now read from it more than paper books. I've been busily adding ebooks to my personal library ever since. For that reason, I've decided to do the little extra work to make the books prettier and offer them to other readers, too.

Yesterday on Amazon, I launched the first book in a "Women in Folklore" series I have in the works. The first volume is The Fairy Tale Fiction of Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie. I've scanned and edited the texts of Ritchie's nine fairy tale revisions, all short stories or novellas from her Five Old Friends and Bluebeard's Keys and Other Stories.

I've also written a new introduction and added "Bluebeard's Ghost" by her father William Makepiece Thackeray as well as her introduction to The Fairy Tales of Madame D'Aulnoy. Some of these pieces are available on SurLaLune, but many of them aren't. Most are unavailable in an easily readable--or proofed--format on the web.

Ritchie's work has remained obscure but is an intriguing entry in the long timeline of women and folklore. A few scholars have studied her fairy tale writings, but mostly she is overlooked. I include a reading list in the book, too, for further reading.

If I find there is an interest in this and my other upcoming titles, I will consider offering them in other electronic formats (ePub, Sony, Microsoft, etc.) and even print editions. The electronic versions can be offered at less expensive prices, but I understand the appeal of a printed copy. I imagine most of these titles will be of interest to a very select and small audience, so I've decided not to use the traditional route of publishing them with an established publisher. I prefer that method for most books I read and purchase myself but most of my planned titles are cost prohibitive for a publisher. This volume, for example, would be roughly 700 to 800 pages in print. Paper facsimile reprints of Bluebeard's Keys alone are usually priced in the $40 range. This ebook offers that title, plus another full book and several extras, some unique to this publication.

The next SurLaLune title will be available within the next week and I will write more about it here when I launch it.

If you are interested in this and other titles--I know I haven't announced them yet, but soon!--please post here or email me to let me know about your preferred formats. I'm doing all of the work on these books myself excepting the cover designs by my wonderful husband. That means all of the work from research to compiling to editing to formatting to writing is mine, so I would like to know where to focus if there are specific demands or interests. Otherwise, I will just continue with my own interests and instincts.

Rossini’s La Cenerentola on PBS this month

Rossini’s La Cenerentola will air on Great Perfomances on PBS this weekend or later this month depending on your local PBS station. Check your local listings for performance times since they are subject to change around the U.S. You can read more about it on the Great Performances website here: La Cenerentola, and I've embedded a preview video into this post above.

From the press release:

Over the centuries, the story of Cinderella and her cruel stepmother and ugly stepsisters has been interpreted in countless ways across different genres. Gioachino Rossini’s La Cenerentola is perhaps the most famous operatic version of the Cinderella story, and it is like no other interpretation. This opera has no fairy godmother, no pumpkin that turns into a carriage, and no glass slipper. However, unlike most other operas, it has a happy ending. The production is rated TV-PG and will air on Great Performances at the Met in HD on Saturday, August 15 at Noon on PBS (check local listings) and on WNET/THIRTEEN on Thursday, August 20 at 9 p.m.

Great Performances at the Met is a presentation of THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG – one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers.

Mezzo soprano Elīna Garaňca, who played Rosina in another one of Rossini’s operas, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, now claims the role of the title heroine in La Cenerentola; her Prince Charming is played by Lawrence Brownlee. “It’s actually a coincidence that I’m returning in another of Rossini’s works,” admits Garaňca. Of the opera’s most memorable coloratura showpiece, “Nacqui alľ affanno,” Garaňca says “for me it’s the Olympics – adrenaline at its highest. To get through it, I must switch on all the buttons in the computer in my head and body.”

Italian opera in the early 19th century focused heavily on the range, inflection, and tone of the human voice; this style became known as “bel canto,” or “beautiful singing.” While many opera singers tried to wow audiences by improvising with this technique and adding trills and lilts to their singing, Rossini’s operas, especially La Cenerentola, had bel canto already built right into the scores.

Great Performances at the Met: La Cenerentola is the tenth of 11 productions airing this season on the series. The performance is sung in Italian with English surtitles.

Fairytale Town

I collect information about family, tourist and vacation attractions that feature fairy tale themes. The list is short and I will eventually write about them all on the blog. Today I wanted to mention the one I've learned about most recently, Fairytale Town in Sacramento, California. (Edit: I actually wrote this post last week before finding and posting the article about Disney's German Fairytale vacations yesterday.)

Fairytale Town is celebrating its 50 Year Anniversary this month, having first opened on August 29, 1959. The park is more local attraction than tourist spot with activities oriented towards young childrens with petting zoo animals, gardens, storytelling and other activities. I've never been there--hadn't heard of it before last week--but it sounds charming and perhaps even a little quaint in a good way.

For the month of August, the park is offering 50 cent admissions on Mondays although the admission price is reasonable at anytime.

From the Examiner's article about the anniversary:

It's a wonderfully imaginative park with over 25 different classic children's stories used as themes throughout. There are numerous play areas for the children to entertain their minds and be active. This park also features various animals to view and learn about as well. If your child has an upcoming birthday, be sure to check out info on having his or her celebration at King Arthur's Castle! This park is a non-profit organization that does rely on the support of the public to keep benefiting children of the Sacramento area. Sign up to receive their free weekly email, The Humpty Dumpty Report, to be informed of special events, invites, and news.

The website doesn't have very detailed information about the specific fairy tales used. The limited photos appear to be more nursery rhyme oriented (Humpty Dumpty, Woman and Shoes, etc.) so I wasn't able to glean much information that way although I did spy Jack and the Beanstalk and a Gingerbread House. Fairytale Town looks like a fun place for young children whether or not the fairy tale element appeals. If anyone else is familiar with the spot, feel free to post comments about Fairytale Town with this post.

Another edit: And, of course, in the GMLFTAUG (Great Minds Love Fairy Tales and Use Google) relationship I have with Once Upon a Blog, Ink Gypsy wrote about Fairytale Town yesterday. She also posted more pictures so I encourage you to read her entry if you haven't already.

Once Upon a Fairy Tale Vacation by Disney

Here's a nice article about an unusual type of Disney vacation--a tour through some fairy tale inspiring parts of Germany designed for family groups, aptly dubbed The Fairytale Route.

First you can read about one woman's experiences on the tour here: A Storybook Vacation.

I'll admit I'm not one for planned tours or even Disney vacations. My family tends to plan freakishly for months and then leave opportunities to journey off the beaten path when we travel in the U.S. or outside of it. But if I were to choose a more regimented and vicariously planned vacation package--and more expensive--this would be a top pick for me. It would be rather fun with young children in tow, too. I have yet to travel to Germany despite a few trips to Europe but will surely go someday. When I go, the fairy tale oriented sites are a definite must.

I found the Germany Fairytale package information on the Disney Adventures site if you want more information. Meeting Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood as well as some others would be charming. I'm impressed Disney is also promoting more of the traditional sites in conjunction with their versions of the tales.

Esben and the Witch...The Band

I had heard of this band somewhere before rather recently--perhaps a reader email or on the SurLaLune Discussion board or somewhere completely random, I just don't remember. Then I forgot about them. I do that. I bombard myself with information and, yes, so much slips through the many cracks in my brain. Thus this blog, actually. I'm trying to preserve more of this information in one place and share along the way.

Last week serendipity led me to this article about the band on The Quietus website: Esben & The Witch Interview: From Aeschylus To The South Downs.

Now for those of you who are unaware, Esben and the Witch is a fairy tale from Denmark and was included in Andrew Lang's Pink Fairy Book. It is also classified as Aarne-Thompson 327B: The Small Boy Defeats the Ogre of which Hop o' My Thumb is perhaps the most famous variant. Hansel and Gretel and Jack and the Beanstalk are closely related. I knew this obscure information that will never appear on a game show, so when I saw the name of the band, I had to learn more this time, leading me to the article. Yes, you can capture my attention by naming something after an obscure fairy tale.

They explain the name choice in the article:

How did the name come about? It sounds like a fairy story about a posh girl getting caught up with a crone during a residential gymkhana. Where does the fairy tale on your MySpace come from?

It's a Danish fairytale popularised by Andrew Lang. The vivid imagery and ideas it contains have become intrinsically linked with our ethos.

Were you not worried that the fairytale implications were a little twee?

Not particularly. In our eyes Fairytales are far more melancholic and enigmatic than they first appear. We perceive tales such as this one as vehicles for interesting and sinister thoughts disguised as something palatable for children.

You can also sample their music and be immersed in their visual aesthetic on their MySpace page: Esben and the Witch. My husband--our household's music afficiando--loved their music, comparing them to Bat for Lashes, Björk and even some Jim Morrison after a few minutes. I always find comparisons difficult, but we loved the sound and think it is quite aptly self-described as "Melodramatic Popular Song / Electronica / Gothic." So if that appeals, you might enjoy it, too.

The band appears to be pretty new so downloads of their music are almost impossible to find. They have several streaming on their MySpace page and perhaps more will become available for actual downloading if word of mouth helps their fan base grow to a marketable size. So essentially this entire post is a teaser for something difficult to obtain. But come on, aren't you impressed with a UK band that names itself after a fairy tale?