Vilgelm Grimm German philologist, brother of Jacob Grimm. Date of Birth: 24.02.1786 Country: Germany

Biography of Wilhelm Grimm

Wilhelm Grimm, a German philologist and the brother of Jakob Grimm, was born in the town of Hanau into a family of lawyers. He completed his education at the University of Marburg. Influenced by Clemens Brentano and Joachim von Arnim, who had published collections of folk ballads, Wilhelm, along with his brother Jakob, became interested in folklore and began collecting fairy tales. In 1812, the Grimm brothers published the first volume of their famous "Children's and Household Tales," followed by the second volume three years later. These two volumes included 200 folk tales and 10 so-called "children's legends."

Two years after the publication of the "Tales," the Grimm brothers released a two-volume collection called "German Legends." In 1819, both brothers were awarded doctoral degrees from the University of Marburg for their scholarly contributions. After working for more than ten years in the library of Kassel, in 1829-1830, the Grimm brothers moved to Göttingen, where they were offered positions as professors and directors of the university library.

In 1840, they were dismissed from the University of Göttingen for participating in a political demonstration. However, they remained without a position for a short time and soon relocated to Berlin, where they also taught at the university. In 1852, Wilhelm Grimm retired. During his last years, he dedicated himself entirely to scientific work. The Grimm brothers were known as the founders of German studies, a discipline focused on the German language and literature, and they made significant contributions to the fields of science and literature.