The Blind Fairy: A Tale

by Brigitte Schär, Julia Gukova, J. Alison James (Translation)

A blind fairy deceived by cruel dwarves discovers the truth about her crumbling palace and attempts to restore her kingdom to its former enchantment.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales

32 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

Brigitte Schär grew up in Meilen on Lake Zurich (daughter of a Swiss father and a German mother) and now lives in Zurich. She studied German Language and Literature, European folk literature and French Literature and completed a degree program for voice and speech. After her studies at the Master level, Brigitte Schär worked for several years as a German teacher and did studio voice recording work for the blind. At the same time, she began making more and more public appearances as both a singer and an artistic performer. Since 1988, she has been working as a freelance writer, singer and performer.

Brigitte Schär writes books for both adults and children and has been awarded numerous prizes. As a singer she has performed in a variety of countries (e.g. Sudan, Lebanon, the US), accompanied by international artists. While in Beirut in 1996, she recorded her CD “Vocal Flight to Beirut”, a work which traverses the boundaries between jazz, vocal improvisation, ethno, chanson, and pop.

As an artistic performer, Brigitte Schär has been involved in many multi-media projects (tours included) in the areas of dance, theater, video, and film. As both a writer and an artist, Ms. Schär seeks to create an original and extraordinary linking of her own literary work to her work as a performer. The result: theatrical “reading-performances” and “concert-readings” for both adults and children.

Today Brigitte Schär is invited as a solo-performer into the whole world. U.S.A, Canada, Sudan, Ecuador, Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Belarus, Taiwan, Lebanon, many countries of Europe.

Reviews

[Mathew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art and writing style is very different to what I have read in traditional tales and I am still trying to get my head around what I thought about the story itself. There is something intriguing about the story itself, a blind fairy who is taunted and tricked by dwarves who keep her trapped within a decrepit castle at the top of a mountain which shadows the people below. All the fairy wants is for her people to be happy but little does she know that her world and those below her as cast in shadow and pain.
Schar herself studied European folk literature and it is clear that she is telling a tale with many elements from in these tales. I liked the idea that the protagonist was a fairy rather than a hero and the illustrations themselves are unusual in Gukova's artsyle. Again, much like the content and writing, there is something very different here to what I am used to and the story itself still resonates long after reading. Definitely one I want to return to.

[Amalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A curious, and an interesting fairy tale about self-discovery.

[Inkyhooves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an odd little tale, but I have to say that it has been on my mind ever since reading it last night. The ending is abrupt and open ended. In many ways it really does feel like the strange stories that you find in old collections once you move beyond the most famous fairy tales. The illustrations are particularly lovely and reward close inspection--very fun to hunt down all the little details.

[Brittany Basalla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out as a really beautiful book, but the ending was so sudden and wasn't enjoyable.