“The Stonecutter” is a Japanese fairy tale first written down in the late 19th century by Dutch writer Eduard Douwes Dekker, better known by his pen name Multatuli, and first appearing in English language form in The Crimson Fairy Book, published in 1903 by Andrew Lang. While the mid-1800s marked the first time this story was written down, oral versions of the story were already circulating by that time.
The story exists in several forms – such as a version with mice seeking to find a suitable husband for their beautiful mouse daughter – and in several cultures, including China, Spain, and Europe. Some scholars classify the tale in the same category as “The Fisherman and His Wife,” but others see the story as distinctly Asian in origin and an example of the type of cyclical thinking common in many Eastern philosophies.
As you read this story YOU are the stonecutter, and the choices you make will determine whether your tale ends up happily ever after. Good luck!
