Profile of the Day: Charles Perrault

Posted January 12, 2022 by Amanda | No Comment

On this day in 1628, French author Charles Perrault was born in Paris, France. Often described as the “father of the fairytale,” Perrault was known for penning some of the most beloved and recognizable stories, including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and The Sleeping Beauty. He derived many of his stories from pre-existing folktales and created the foundations of a new literary genre, the fairytale.

Image: Charles Perrault / Rijksmuseum, Wikimedia Commons

He was born on January 12, 1628 to a wealthy bourgeois family. The seventh child of Pierre Perrault and Paquette Le Clerc, Perrault pursued a career in the government before dedicating himself to writing for his children. In 1697, he published Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals and subtitled it, Tales of Mother Goose. The book was a compilation of popular, traditional French tales with important moral lessons. Once it was published, it quickly became popular among sophisticated court circles and earned him great acclaim.

What’s your favorite fairytale?

Charles Perrault is not yet connected to Geni’s World Family Tree. Perhaps you can help build out his family’s branches and connect him to over 163 million people on Geni!