Philip Pullman in Conversation with Neil Gaiman

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Mon 29 Oct 2012

Once upon a time two authors decided to get together in front of a room full of people to talk about fairy tales.


Marking the release of his beautiful new book, Grimm Tales for Young and Old, Philip Pullman will be in conversation with Neil Gaiman on 29th October at the Cambridge Theatre (currently home to the wildly successful Matilda the Musical), to discuss the significance of the archetypal folk tales that we have all grown up with.

If you're interested in exploring the components of a story, love the romantic simplicity of fairy tales, and are a fan of fantastical storytellers Philip Pullman and Neil Gaiman, then this is the event for you. If Pullman's book is anything to go by (and I imagine it is) then we are in for a unique and intriguing evening with the two authors.

Fairy tales have become increasingly popular again recently, with several film and television adaptations having been brought to our screens over the last year. Snow White and the Huntsman, Once Upon a Time and Grimm are just a few examples. Unlike these adaptations, rather than fleshing out the narratives further, Pullman has gone back to the roots of the stories, unearthing some of the forgotten details of the tales collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1800s, such as Rapunzel's pregnancy. While the stories' plots retain the memorable symbols that we associate with them, Pullman makes them his own with each unique retelling, and provides an interesting commentary at the end of each tale of what makes them work as stories, their histories, and alternative versions that have been told over the last 200 years.


Neil Gaiman is probably the best person Pullman could discuss this subject matter with. Viewed as something of an authority on folklore, myth and legend, Gaiman has made several references to fairy tales in The Sandman, his hugely successful graphic novel series, as well as penning some fairy-tale-esque stories of his own, such as the magical and romantic Stardust.

Unsurprisingly tickets are going very quickly. To ensure you don't miss out, click on this link to book your seat.

#books_writing
#central_london
#theatre
#october
!date 29/10/2012 -- 29/10/2012
%wnlondon