Description

Charles Perrault (1628-1703) was a French author who laid foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale. He attended the best schools and studied law before embarking on a career in government service. He took part in the creation of the Academy of Sciences as well as the restoration of the Academy of Painting. When the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres was founded in 1663, Perrault was appointed its secretary by its founder Jean Baptiste Colbert, finance minister to King Louis XIV. In 1695, when he was 67, he lost his post as secretary. He decided to dedicate himself to his children and published Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé (Tales and Stories of the Past With Morals) (1697), with the subtitle: Les Contes de Ma Mère l'Oie (Tales of Mother Goose). Its publication made him suddenly widelyknown beyond his own circles and marked the beginnings of a new literary genre, the fairy tale. He is best known for: Le Petit Chaperon Rouge (Little Red Riding Hood), La Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty) and Le Maître Chat ou le Chat Botté (Puss in Boots).