A particular tribute to Charles Perrault

Today is Charles Perrault's 388th birth anniversary: Some facts on the creator of 'Once upon a time'

• Charles Perrault belonged to a very rich family. He studied Law before composing fairy tales

• Before starting a career in writing, at the age of 67, Perrault was a government employee just like his father and brother

• In 1695, aged 67, he wrote Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals, which was a series of moral tales. The tales were designed to nudge the reader to reflect on the dilemmas faced by the protagonists

• The volume contained the stories such as Mother Goose, Puss in Boots, Blue Beard, and Cinderella

• The book, Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals became enormously successful, and was eventually translated into English in the year 1729

• Some other tales he included in the series were, Cinderella (Cendrillon), the Sleeping Beauty (La Belle au bois Dormant), and Little Red Riding Hood (Le Petit Chaperon Rouge)

• The wolf featuring in Red Riding Hood was originally a man who preyed on little girls wandering alone in woods.