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Stephen King and Maurice Sendak To Reimagine Hansel and Gretel
Stephen King and Maurice Sendak have given a classic tale new life — even though they never met in real life.
The two bestselling authors collaborated in a new imagining of the Grimm Brothers' Hansel and Gretel, set to be released in September. The famous tale, originally published in Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1812, follows two courageous children as they navigate an ominous, dark forest, eventually meeting an evil cannibalistic witch.
King shared that the prospect of collaborating with Sendak was instantly exciting to him.
"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," he said. "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!"
He added, "To me, it was the essence of this story and, really, all fairytales: a sunny exterior, a dark and terrible center, brave and resourceful children. In a way, I have been writing about kids like Hansel and Gretel for much of my life.”
Hansel and Gretel by Stephen King and Maurice Sendak comes out Sept. 2, 2025 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.
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The audio edition of an upcoming re-telling of the Grimm fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel,” which combines the renowned sensibilities of Stephen King 's words and the late Maurice Sendak 's illustrations, will be narrated by an author who knows the material well.
Stephen King.
“Stephen King’s reading of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ is captivating and thrilling, bringing new depth to this classic tale,” Lynn Caponera, executive director of The Maurice Sendak Foundation, said in a statement Thursday.
“Everyone at HarperCollins and The Maurice Sendak Foundation shared the same dream and vision to have Stephen King narrate the audiobook," Nancy Inteli, vice president and publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books, said in a statement. "Who wouldn’t want Stephen King reading them a fairy tale?!”
The audiobook comes out Sept. 2, the same day as the picture story.