Cinderella, one of Perrault's most famous tales
Today we all go back to being a bit children thanks to Google, which dedicates the first doodle of 2016 to the French writer Charles Perrault, born on 12 January 1628 in Paris and author of some of the most beautiful fairy tales we all read as children.
Any title?
Little Red Riding Hood, Tom Thumb, Puss in Boots, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty :is there anyone in the world who doesn't know them?
Probably not, but certainly less is known about their author than thanks to Google, we gladly rediscover.
Charles Perrault belonged to an eminent high-bourgeois family of which he was not the only illustrious member, as his father Pierre was a brilliant lawyer, while his brother Claude, physician and architect, we owe the facade of the Louvre.
Portrait of Charles Perrault
Charles attended the best schools of the time and studied law, later finding work in the state services.
He took part in the creation of the Academy of Sciences and in the restoration of the Academy of Painting.
A writer almost "by chance", Perrault's first publication entitled Tales of mother goose , met with incredible critical and public success and today he is considered the initiator of the literary genre of fairy tale.
In truth, Perrault's stories were largely transcriptions of ancient stories of the popular tradition, which however he enriched with details and anecdotes arising from his own imagination, peppering them with ideas taken from the observation of French society at the time, especially places, customs and habits , in a perfect mix of reality and fiction which gave rise to the masterpieces we know.
To learn more about Charles Perrault, life, works and curiosities, just click on the doodle today and all entries related to it will open.