One Thousand One Papua New Guinean Nights: Folktales from Wantok Newspaper. Volume 1: Tales from 1972-1985 (Papua New Guinea Folklore Series) [Paperback]

Thomas H. Slone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001 | Series: Papua New Guinea Folklore Series

A two-volume collection of folktales that were published in Papua New Guinea?s Wantok newspaper. The two-volume collection presents the complete set of 1047 folktales that were originally published from 1972 through 1997 in Tok Pisin.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Both extraordinary and overwhelming, this monumental two-volume anthology reprints 1,047 Papua folktales that originally appeared in native newspapers from 1972 to 1997. First printed in Tok Pilsin, the pidgin English of Papua, this exhaustive collection represents all of the island nation's provinces and 35 percent of its 700 language/culture groups. Slone, a Berkeley research scientist, includes tales that explore the spectrum of daily life occurrences e.g., birth, death, hunting and gathering, and familiar routines as well as encounters with spiritual beings, monstrous creatures, and more. Sources for each entry are thoroughly documented in headnotes. Aside from the tales, this work features exemplary indexes that identify major motifs and an extensive bibliography that enhances the text significantly. However, as these tales lack revealing comment, they will resonate primarily with the dedicated reader/scholar. Not an essential acquisition, this work will find a limited audience in exhaustive collections of world folklore or those focusing on the South Sea Island region. Richard K. Burns, MSLS, Hatboro, PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A parcel of gold" "An amazing 2 volumes" "A remarkable collection of ancestor stories" "Gold to the storyteller" -- Swag of Yarns: Australia’s National Storytelling Magazine, Winter 2002

"Slone has established a solid basis for future investigation." -- Asian Folklore Studies, 2004, Roger E. Mitchell

"Zunächst einmal ist die riesige Arbeitsleistung bemerkenswert." [First of all this enormous work is remarkable.] -- Rundbrief: Forum für Mitglieder und Freunde des Pazifik-Netzwerkes, February 2002

Monumental -- Geoff P. Smith,

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Masalai Press; 1st edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971412707
• ISBN-13: 978-0971412705
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,226,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Papuan folklore in one place, March 24, 2006

By 

Mark Isaak (Sunnyvale, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Thousand One Papua New Guinean Nights: Folktales from Wantok Newspaper. Volume 1: Tales from 1972-1985 (Papua New Guinea Folklore Series) (Paperback)

New Guinea is probably the most liguistically diverse area in the world. So what do you do if you want a representative sampling of the island's folklore but are not willing to learn hundreds of languages yourself? Dr. Slone found an answer. He found a newspaper that published folklore from all over Papua New Guinea in a common pidgin, collected and translated the tales (more than 1,100 of them), and assembled them in two volumes. The result is not the scholarly study one would get from an anthropologist living with the people, but what it lacks in depth it more than makes up for in breadth.

Volume 2 contains a glossary, several indices (of author, village, language, province, flora and fauna, and folklore motif), bibliography, and maps. The maps and glossary are useful to put the stories in a little more context, and the indices can be used to look up tales by subject.

What the book lacks is an introduction to briefly describe PNG life. One gets much of this from reading the stories themselves and from the glossary, but something describing commonalities and differences across the country would be useful. I would also like to see some mention, however brief, of the culture and folklore of the Irian Jaya half of the island, which falls outside the range covered by the newspaper source. Even a list of recommended readings on the subject would help. The introduction does include a section describing the masalais, spirit beings which appear in many of the stories, but I am left wanting more. Still, these two volumes are a monumental work, and Thomas Slone deserves much praise for making them available.

5.0 out of 5 stars One Thousand One Papua New Guinean Nights: Folktales from Wantok Newspaper. Volume 1: Tales from 1972-1985 (Papua New Guinea Fol, July 22, 2011

By 

Stanislaw Wargacki (Wayne, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Thousand One Papua New Guinean Nights: Folktales from Wantok Newspaper. Volume 1: Tales from 1972-1985 (Papua New Guinea Folklore Series) (Paperback)

Just after reading few pages, you will be totally absorbed by magical spirit of the stories. Gutpela buk tru. Mi amamas long en.