Date: 21.01.25

To reinvent traditions, reshaping them into a contemporary mold—this is where Aeyde begins Spring/Summer ‘25.

This season, we welcome guest editor Durga Chew-Bose, whose literary insight will move with us as our story unfolds. Chew-Bose reimagines six Grimm Brothers’ tales, challenging us to unlearn familiar patterns and embrace the unexpected.

By bending familiar narrative forms, she redefines what it means to tell a story—adding twists where we expect turns, wonder where we expect conclusions. In her prologue, Chew-Bose considers the fairytales we carry with us—their pull, their limits, and their lasting impact. So what happens when we stop following the script and start rewriting the page entirely?

Occasionally, it’s worth forgetting the things we know by heart. Habits and rhythms that seem to, somehow, evaporate time. A song, a poem, the way home. A story. Reinterpreting what’s been held (tight!) can clear the path for another way in—a less convenient way in—even if that way in greatly depends on how doubtful it is to forget; to totally wipe clean those fairy tales committed to memory. The sleeping girl, the stranger with a cunning smile, the shoe that sets off ever after. Sometimes, the only approach is…twisted, unexpected, but still familiar. 

When we think of stories we know by heart, they arrive at us preserved, moving us rearward. They are beloved but not burning. And so, we begin to ask questions. What if what tempts her, inspires her? What if temptation is a force, freed from all things forbidden. What if…she just…had fun? What if beauty wasn’t cared for and protected…something to safeguard? What if beauty was the least remarkable thing? What if endings turned away from happiness, seeking solitude instead? What if she never woke up, and finally found rest, the real kind, dark and scenic and strange. 

And so, we turn to a treasury of folklore so fixed to our imagination that simply rubbing up against it, sets off sparks. The classic Grimm Brothers fairy tales are ripe for reinvention, over and over. They are the framework for first love, bad behavior, fun and games and revenge. They feature women who go along but could, at any moment, scream and scale the castle walls instead of using the stairs. We’d like that, wouldn’t we? We like the woods, the footpaths with no signs. We like our sleep. We like falling in love, not once, but again and again and again, against better judgement, for the stories, for the heart. We like to be left alone; there is joy in veering off, feeling lost, and choosing to, for now, not be found. We like to take flight, far away, and never be brought back earth-bound. We like a story with no ending. We’d rather you not wake us up from this dream.

Durga Chew-Bose is a Montreal-born writer and director whose work spans intimate essays, literary criticism, and film. Known for her introspective prose, Chew-Bose is a master of capturing fleeting moments and untangling the emotional undercurrents of everyday life. Her essay collection, “Too Much and Not the Mood,” cemented her voice as a leading figure in contemporary literary culture, while her directional adaptation of “Bonjour Tristesse” demonstrates her talent for transforming literary complexity into an evocative visual story.