Fairy Tales

by Peter Cashorali

Book Overview

Using the magical and mythic language of classic stories from around the world, Fairy Tales takes familiar myths and folktales and turns them into stories about men coming out, learning to trust themselves, looking for and finding love, facing AIDS, and helping those they love.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062513095
• ISBN13: 9780062513090
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Fairy Tales-Not Just For Gay Men Anymore!

I found this title among my uncle's books after he died in 1995. I devoured it then, and have returned to it periodically since, and each time it's nourishing, the way great fairy tales and folklore should be (and not *at all* like a serving of Every-ending-is-a-happy-one-so-why-not-relax-and-enjoy-yourself Soup). Some of the other reviewers have objected to the contemporary touches in the stories--the gym workouts, the condos, the penny loafers--finding them corny and inappropriate. I suppose this will eternally be a matter of debate, and, ultimately, taste. Some people love, or at least tolerate, finding brand names and pop culture references in their literature, and others abhor it. I'm in the former camp. For one thing, I find it much too anti-populist to insist upon that kind of rigid separation of high and low culture. In these tales specifically, I enjoyed the contemporary references because they brought home the message that fairy tales (and fables, and folklore, and wisdom literature of all kinds) are not just for "once upon a time," but for right now, and always. For this reason, I think these renditions of traditional fairy tales can speak to everyone, not just to gay men, though of course I expect they'll find a special place in the hearts of gay readers.

Too bad my parents didn't read this to me!

I'm glad to see that there's finally *fairy* tales out there for gay men. And, although I prefer the romance, being the starry-eyed dreamer that I am, it pleases me seeing tall aspects of life in these stories: love and loss, youth and aging, rags to riches, on and on... The anachronisms like cars, gyms, office buildings, etc, made the stories sag a bit. It really took something away from that whimsical, fairy tale quality... but not too much to dampen the stories! Turning "s*** into gold" in Rumpelstiltskin? I couldn't help smirking at that! I was expecting something other than hair in "Romaine"("Rapunzel"). And It's wonderful to see the gay male rise above adversity and find true love! I would so enjoy reading this to my prince charming!

A gay adventure awaits you!

The quiet power of these tales is as mystifying and timless as the originals from which they are spun. By recasting and reshaping both favorite and obscure fairy tales from our youth with gay themes, Peter Cashorali has given gay men the myths and legends on which empires are made. Queit, pensive, reflective, moral, funny, entertaining, sexy, thoughtful and just plain fun are the words I'd use to describe this collection. The 17 stories are easily read in one sitting (some only a page or two long), but are hard to forget. I chose to read one a night, right before bed. If you have a lover, reading them to one another makes for great bedtime stories. Each is begun with a simple line drawing that forshadows events to come. A nice design element is each of these drawings are picked up on the jacket cover. If you happen to not know the tale on which a particular story is based, it is refrenced on the bottom of each stories first page. This makes it really easy to find and read the original to see just how much Cashorali has reworked it. I espicially loved the range of gay life portrayed; from girly boys to butch boys, S & M, AIDS, aging, looking for lasting love and dealing with a loss, this book covers it all. And don't forget the manditory enchanted objects, talking animals, handsome princes, frogs, ogres and withces needed for any good fairy tale! All are included and no one feels left out.Fairy tales give us a shared history, something to aspire to, and to learn from. Finally - finally gay men have their own! I can't recomend this book enough. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Cashorali. I'm sure the Brothers Grimm would be proud as well. Buy it and I'm sure you'll savor it's rich tales for years and years to come!

where oh where was this book when i was a tyke?

it is funny and it is moving and it is profound.the retelling of these traditional stories from a gay vantage point is nothing short of brilliant. some of them, like "beauty and the beast" will stay with me forever. i have sat and read passages aloud over the phone to friends, and everyone seems to agree this is a classic book. and the sequel (still not in paperback, god knows why!) is just as good.if you are a gay man with a sense of humor, and a need to understand where and how you fit in, cashorali's book is for you. and it makes a great gift!

Fairy Tales provides healing and humor for gay men

In this book, Peter Cashorali takes familiar folk tales and recasts them with gay men and boys in the starring roles: finally, a world where it's the gay man who finds love or fulfills his dream or solves the problem. As I read these stories, I felt emotional blocks inside me falling into place, having been suspended for decades; as a child, I had read the original versions of these stories, but I could not identify with the heterosexual protagonists and so felt a certain distance from the stories. Those stories weren't about me. But now, I have this wonderful set of tales, filled with humor, wisdom and compassion. The archetypes are there for me too, now--I can my heart resonating when the prince loves a boy, when the outcast gay man ends up succeeding. I believe that every gay man will benefit from reading these stories, to repair his childhood tapestry that included no gay figures. The stories work well when read aloud, too. The sources of the tales are given, so that you can trace them. The illustrations are charming and delicate. I would say that sometimes the humor of the texts is a little cheesy--for instance, getting a laugh by introducing some anachronistic detail like a car--but not enough to really detract from the effect. It's also worth noting that a quite wide spectrum of gay life is represented here, and Mr. Cashorali is brave about playing with stereotypes, subverting them and showing the nuggets of truth inside them. (I have to confess--I have not read a couple of the stories yet, though I've had the book for a year. I couldn't stand to reach the end, so I have saved two of the stories... I also bought the sequel to this book, which is equally good.) This book, and its sequel, are the only books I would unhesitatingly recommend to every gay man.