GODFATHER DEATH

A lesser-known Brothers Grimm tale finds new life.

Upon the birth of his son, a poor fisherman sets out to find an appropriate godfather. First, he approaches God but doesn’t care for God’s sense of fairness—God claims to treat all the same, but the fisherman points out that some people live charmed lives, while others experience only hardship. Next, he considers the Devil but rejects him for his wickedness. Finally, he encounters Death and, upon realizing that Death is always fair and honest (he takes everyone, rich or poor), makes him his son’s godfather. Soon thereafter, Death grants the fisherman information that will make him a rich doctor. If Death stands at the foot of a patient’s bed, the patient can be cured. If Death stands at the head of the bed, nothing can be done. All goes well, until the day the fisherman foolishly decides to trick Death himself. Nicholls proves unafraid to attach an appropriately bleak ending to this straightforward morality tale, doing so with such flair that many (though not all) will forgive her. Along the way, she tweaks the original tale, turning it into something palatable to contemporary readers. Meanwhile, Sardà’s limited orange, green, and red palette and distinctive style evoke the colored lithographs of artists such as Walter Crane. Characters have paper-white skin.

Deft writing and entrancing art prove once more why the old stories are worth retelling.