Stephen King reimagines Hansel and Gretel with Maurice Sendak in fairy-tale collaboration
‘King of Horror’ American author’s retelling of the Brothers Grimm tale with illustrations by the late Maurice Sendak due out in September
An upcoming edition of Hansel and Gretel combines the dark and singular talents of two literary giants who apparently never met: Stephen King and the late Maurice Sendak.
HarperCollins Publishers announced that the King-Sendak reimagining of the famed Brothers Grimm tale about two lost children in a frightening forest is scheduled for September 13.
The book was initiated by the Maurice Sendak Foundation. King, author of The Shining, Carrie and other horror classics, said he agreed to the project after seeing Sendak’s illustrations.
“Two of his pictures in particular spoke to me: one was of the wicked witch on her broom with a bag of kidnapped children riding behind her; the other was of the infamous candy house becoming a terrible face.
“I thought, ‘This is what the house really looks like, a devil sick with sin, and it only shows that face when the kids turn their backs. I wanted to write that!’” King said.