About Aesop
Aesop is the name traditionally attached to many fables from ancient Greece. He is usually placed around the sixth century BCE, but the details of his life are uncertain. The adventures in the much later Life of Aesop belong largely to legend.
In these short stories, animals speak and reveal very human weaknesses, such as vanity, cunning or fear. A simple situation can make readers think about the way people treat one another.
The fables attributed to Aesop have been told, collected and rewritten over many centuries. La Fontaine adapted several of them in his own way. Aesop’s name therefore also stands for a long storytelling tradition, whose many versions cannot all be traced to one author.