Fairy Tales for Workers' Children

"Fairy Tales for Workers' Children" by Hermynia Zur Mühlen is a collection of allegorical fairy tales written during the early 20th century. The book is designed to engage young readers with themes of social justice, class struggle, and solidarity among workers. By presenting stories that parallel real-life issues, it aims to inspire a sense of awareness and empowerment in children, especially those from working-class backgrounds. The stories within the collection revolve around characters that represent the struggles of the poor against the oppression of the wealthy. In "The Rose-bush," a flower learns about social inequality and decides to stop blooming for the idle rich, choosing instead to support the suffering workers. "The Sparrow" follows a bird who defies societal expectations, seeking a better life for his kin. "The Little Grey Dog" portrays the loyalty and bravery of a dog who sacrifices his life for a young child facing the harsh realities of slavery. Lastly, "Why?" features a curious boy who seeks answers to his pressing questions about poverty and injustice, ultimately rallying the voices of the oppressed. Collectively, these tales educate children on the need for social change and the importance of joining together to address systemic injustices. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Hermynia Zur Mühlen, or Folliot de Crenneville-Poutet, was an Austrian writer and translator. She translated over seventy books into German from English, Russian and French, including work by Upton Sinclair, John Galsworthy, Jerome K. Jerome, Harold Nicolson, Max Eastman and Edna Ferber. She has been characterised as "one of the best known women writers of the Weimar Republic." A committed socialist from a Viennese aristocratic Catholic family, she was sometimes called the Red Countess.