Pairs #38 (Literature Edition)

Grijpstra and de Gier, a series of fourteen novels (1975-1997) about a pair of detectives in the Murder Brigade of the Amsterdam Municipal Police, written by Janwillem van de Wetering.

“Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom.” A short story written by Sylvia Plath at the age of 20 and published posthumously in 2019.

Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck’s 1937 novella about migrant farm workers, was later adapted for film, radio and television.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final novel in J. K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter series, was published in 2007 and holds the Guinness World Record for the most novels sold within 24 hours of release. The novel was adapted for film in two parts in 2010 and 2011.

Ellert and Brammert. Legendary giants from Dutch folklore, who supposedly robbed travellers in Drenthe.

Dick and Jane were the older siblings in a fictional family that included younger sister Sally, “Father” and “Mother,” their dog (Spot), their cat (Puff), and a stuffed bear called “Tim.” The family appeared in stories in the Elson-Gray Basic Readers series (1930-1940) and other series published by Scott Foresman and Company through 1965, serving as an early reading experience for countless children. Dick, Jane and Sally were renamed to John, Jean and Judy in the Catholic school editions of the books (Cathedral Basic Readers series). In Canada, British English versions were published, as well as French language editions of lower grade readers — in which Dick, Jane and Sally became Paul, Jeanne and Lise.

Khosrow and Shirin is an epic Persian tragic romance by poet Nizami Ganjavi (c. 1141-1209) and is a fictionalized version of the love of Sasanian king Khosrow II for Shirin, a Christian.

Teen sleuths Frank and Joe Hardy originated in The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories series (1927-2004), later branching out into several other juvenile mystery series, as well as a franchise that included television series and comic books.

“The Lion and the Mouse,” a fable attributed to Æsop, teaches that mercy brings its reward.

“The Goblin and the Grocer” was a fairy tale published in Andrew Lang’s The Pink Fairy Book (1897), based on an 1852 story by Hans Christian Andersen.

Oberon and Titania. The king and queen of the fairies in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Hamlet and Ophelia. The title character and prince of Denmark in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and his love interest — the noblewoman Ophelia.

“The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa” is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnyye russkiye skazki (Russian Folk Tales).

The Farmer and the Viper, a fable attributed to Æsop, teaches that kindness to evil will be met by betrayal.

Seven-foot tall Fafhrd and the five-foot tall Gray Mouser are a pair of sword-and-sorcery heroes who appeared in stories, novellas and novels by Fritz Leiber, beginning in 1936.

In “The Eagle and the Fox,” a fable attributed to Æsop, an eagle seizes a fox’s cubs to feed its own young. Various versions of the fable exist, with alternative endings and differing morals.

Wimsey was an amateur gentleman detective in a series of novels and short stories (1930-1988) by Dorothy L. Sayers. Harriet Vane was Wimsey’s sometime sidekick, and later became his wife.

Isis and Osiris. In ancient Egyptian mythology, Osiris was the god of the dead. Isis, a mother goddess, was both Osiris’s sister and wife.

Mary and Joseph. In the Bible, the mother and earthly father of Christ.

Jack and Jill. Nursery rhyme characters who suffered traumatic injuries in a tragic water fetching incident.

“The Devil and his Grandmother,” sometimes called “The Dragon and His Grandmother,” is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.

“The Hawk and the Nightingale,” an ancient Greek fable that began as a reflection on the arbitrary use of power and eventually shifted, through different versions, to being a lesson in the wise use of resources.

Layla and Majnun is an Arabic story (later passed into Persian, Turkish and Indian languages) about the unrequited love of Qays ibn al-Mulawwah for Layla al-Aamiriya. Qays’ obsession with Layla leads his neighbors to refer to him as “majnun” (possessed or demented).

Nick and Nora Charles were witty spouses who solved murders in Dashiell Hammett’s last novel, The Thin Man (1934), and who subsequently became characters in a series of films (1934-1947).