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A View from the Witch's Cave One of the newest publications in the Basque Book Series is A View from the Witch's Cave: Folktales of the Pyrenees. José Miguel de Barandiarán collected stories, legends, and fables from real people and pulled them together to provide us with a fascinating glimpse of Basque culture. Readers may recognize some tales from childhood stories at grandmother's knee. Other tales may not be as well known, but all have a distinctly Basque flavor, augmented by the inclusion of place names and a list of sources. Story titles include: "Patxi the Blacksmith," "Axarko, Otsoko, and Beleko," "Makilakixki," "Baratxuri," "The Lady of Aralar," and "The Fox's Truths," excerpted here in its entirety: Driven by hunger, a fox found it necessary to leave his den. But in order to find food, he had to overcome one problem: he had to cross a river. Since he had no money to pay the ferryman for a ride, the fox proposed telling the ferryman three truths in exchange for passage. The ferry had barely begun to move when the fox offered his first truth. "The moon is bright, but not as bright as the day." The ferryman replied, "You are right." When they reached the middle of the river, the fox declared his second truth. "Other people's mothers are good, but there is no mother as good as one's own." The ferryman replied, "You are right again." At last they arrived at the opposite bank, and there the fox pronounced his third truth. "Ferryman, ferryman, your trousers are threadbare! If you ferry many others as you have myself, I cannot prophesy better fortune for your trousers." The ferryman replied, "You are right about that, too." (Excerpted with permission from the University of Nevada Press. Copyright 1991, University of Nevada Press.) A View from the Witch's Cave would be a beautiful addition to anyone's bookshelf. The book jacket was illustrated by the Basque artist and illustrator of children's books, Asun Balzola. Vivid, earthy, and dramatic, the folktales are designed to be read aloud and will be enjoyed by readers of all ages and all cultural backgrounds. The original Spanish-language version was edited by Luis de Barandiarán Irizar. The book was translated into English by Linda White. Joseba Zulaika wrote the foreword, a personal glimpse of the great folklorist José Miguel de Barandiarán. Other new titles from the Basque Book Series include A Rebellious People (Cyrus Ernesto Zirakzadeh) and Escape Via Berlin (José Antonio de Aguirre). Zirakzadeh's book is a comprehensive account of Spanish-Basque politics. Aguirre's book is an exciting account of how the author, president of the Basque Republic, made his escape from Franco's Spain through Hitler's Europe. A complete list of Basque Series Books, prices, and ordering information is included in this newsletter for your convenience. [A separate flyer was included in the issue.] |
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