De Sterck has researched rites of passage and the stories that accompany them for more than 25 years. Her 2010 book Bloei (Flower) is a collection of 60 tales from five continents focusing on the development of femininity as a girl transitions into womanhood. “The stories in Bloei are also reminiscent of fairytales because they also incorporate important lessons and themes,” says de Sterck.

Her new non-fiction endeavour, Beest in bed (Beast in Bed), is an assortment of nine well-known fairytales in which she goes back to the source and uncovers their true, non-sugar-coated nature, while rejoicing in the oral tradition that saw different cultures adding parts along the way.

“My father was a storyteller, so I grew up with local folk tales about the Rupel area where we lived,” she says, referring to the Rupel tributary in western Antwerp province. “Then when I was nine, I discovered the fairytales of the Brothers Grimm in the attic. It was a very old edition with macabre illustrations by [20th-century Dutch graphic artist] Anton Pieck and full of dark and disturbing passages that were left out of the stories they told us at school.”

Harrowing subjects

De Sterck, 57, became fascinated by the interesting parts that were kept away from children and started to explore the evolution of this censorship. “The Brothers Grimm cleaned up their own stories with each reprint, making them more accessible,” she explains. “But I personally prefer the originals because they are a lot more dramatic and fierce than the Disney versions we are now all accustomed to.”

In Beest in bed, De Sterck explores tales by the brothers, by Giambattista Basile and by Charles Perrault (creator of Mother Goose, whose story Donkeyskin was usually omitted from most collections as it deals with incest). She also included what is considered a Flemish version of Snow White – Mauricia and the Seventeen Murderers by J Roelens.

“I choose these nine tales,” says de Sterck, “because of their literary strength and because they intrigue me; they deal with relevant themes in a way that sticks with you.”

New illustrations

As we all grew up with them, fairytales have the power to transcend age, something de Sterck often witnesses. “I frequently read these stories in front of live audiences in libraries and schools, and then it becomes clear that these tales are still able to captivate people of all ages.” Although they all know the fables, not a lot of people know the originals, making books like Beest in bed an important tool in proving that fairytales weren’t just for kids.

Far from it, in fact. Who knew, for example, that Cinderella’s evil stepsisters were forced to cut off parts of their feet to fit into the glass slipper or that Red Riding Hood had to undress and get into bed with the big bad wolf posing as her grandmother?

De Sterck often asks her own now-grown children to read what she’s working on “just to check if young people today are still intrigued by them”. The connection to her family is much tighter with this book, as the often troubling, certainly cautionary tales that regularly blur the boundaries between animal and human nature were illustrated by her son, Jonas Thys, who used linoleum cuts to create original and contemporary drawings.

“I was shocked by how bawdy and cruel most of these stories were,” Thys comments, which is why I predominantly chose scenes that were left out due to their sexual or violent nature.”

Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel – fairytales have always sparked the imagination and the box office due to their universal charm, making books like Beest in bed more than an enticing and refreshing read. The book also sheds light on the true nature of stories we all thought we knew, proving that, despite their age and deceptive innocence, they can still pack a mighty punch.

Jonas Thys’ drawings featured in Beest in bed are on display until 22 December at Galerij Tsjeljoeskin, De Vroente 7, Brasschaat

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