Published in 2022
194 pages
Romer Wilson (born Florence Roma Muir Wilson, 1891 – 1930) was a British writer who wrote about 13 novels during the inter-war period. She attended West Heath School (1906–10) and then began to study law at Girton College, Cambridge, the first women’s college in Britain.
As a writer, she took the pseudonym of “Romer Wilson”. During the war, she began writing her first novel Martin Schüler, which was published in 1919. In 1921, she received the Hawthornden Prize for the novel The Death of Society: Conte de Fée Premier. In addition, she wrote Green Magic (1928), The Hill of Cloves (1929) and Red Magic (1930) which were collections of fairy tales from all over the world, and a biography about Emily Brontë entitled The Private Life And History Of Emily Jane Bronte (1928).
Her novels contained a philosophical trend that spoke to some of the major concerns of the time, but also future generations. Among the subjects in her books topics included the First World War and its devastating effects on the civilization and personal relationships, the demise of a predominantly rural world, the harmful consequences for agriculture and human life through the introduction of machinery and the replacement of manual work through automation. In addition, however, they also looked at the role of the artist and the difficulties in romantic relationships that are frustrated by the war or social conventions.
Violet Ella Evelyn Brunton (1878 – 1951), also known as Victor du Lac, was an English sculptor, painter, and illustrator. She was educated at the Southport School of Art, the Liverpool School of Art, and finally, the Royal College of Art in London. She trained in woodcarving, miniature painting, and illustration. She won a County Palatine Scholarship and a City of Liverpool scholarship and a number of medals while still a student. By 1903–04, Brunton’s distinctive illustrations, drawings, and designs were being published in art magazines. During the 1920s, Brunton contributed illustrations to a number of books, including two volumes of fairy tales, edited by Romer Wilson. In her oil paintings, she tended towards classical and mythological subjects. She exhibited work at the Royal Academy, the Royal Glasgow Institute, the Royal Society of Miniature Painters (to which she was elected in 1925), and elsewhere.
Jack Zipes is Professor Emeritus of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota. In addition to his scholarly work, he is an active storyteller in public schools and has written and translated fairy tales for children and adults.
What is this book about?
With a Preface and biographies from Jack Zipes, as well as the original illustrations by Violet Brunton, this collection of fairy tales originally published by the award-winning Romer Wilson offers a combination of classic fairy tales, alongside lesser-known, global and diverse tales.
Green Magic contains many traditional fairy tales, including “Rapunzel” by Grimm, “Ali Baba” by Diyab and Galland, and “Puss in Boots” by Perrault, as well as previously unknown tales, such as “The Golden Twins” by Iperescu and “The Brotherless Girl” by an anonymous author. It was Romer Wilson’s intention to combine the familiar with the unknown, and introduce authors and cultures from a variety of countries. As a researcher, she uncovered a remarkable amount of stories from other countries that remain unknown today. The collection gives voice to unique and intriguing tales that inspire children to have a better understanding of how people and their stories are alike despite major differences.
