About Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault was a French writer who lived during the reign of Louis XIV. Born in Paris, he worked with Colbert, one of the king’s ministers, and took part in the artistic life of the court. He joined the Académie française in 1671.
Near the end of his life, he turned to the stories for which he is remembered today. His collection Histoires ou contes du temps passé appeared in 1697. Perrault gave a literary form to stories already passed down by word of mouth.
These stories were also written for adults. Their carefully shaped language and short verse morals offered more than magical adventures. Perrault could take a gently teasing look at the ways people behaved in his own time.