Charles Perrault was born in Paris, France. He began his career as a lawyer and civil servant, but his lasting fame comes from his collection of collected and rewritten fairy tales, published anonymously in 1697 under the title "Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités: le conte de ma mère l'Oye". These tales became pillars of children's literature and global popular culture. Perrault also wrote poetry and essays, and advocated for "modernity" in literature against the "ancients".