Parker Fillmore

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 21, 1878, Parker Hoysted Fillmore studied at the University of Cincinnati and later worked as a teacher in the Philippines. Accounts of his career note that this experience pushed him toward storytelling, especially as a way of making lessons vivid and memorable.

Fillmore became known as an author, editor, and translator with a special interest in folklore. He is especially associated with retellings of Eastern European and Nordic tales, including Czechoslovak Fairy Tales (1919), The Shoemaker's Apron (1920), The Laughing Prince: Jugoslav Folk and Fairy Tales (1921), and Mighty Mikko: A Book of Finnish Fairy Tales and Folk Tales (1922).

His work is still remembered for opening a door to folk traditions that many English-language readers might not otherwise have encountered. Parker Fillmore died on June 5, 1944.