The Robber with a Witch's Head: More Stories from the Great Treasury of Sicilian Folk and Fairy Tales Collected by Laura Gonzenbach [Hardcover]

Jack Zipes (Author), Laura Gonzenbach (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415970695 | ISBN-13: 978-0415970693 | Publication Date: July 28, 2004

The Robber with the Witch's Head presents almost fifty new stories about demons and clever maidens and princes. Bursting with life, this is a storyteller's dream, full of adventure and magic, translated by Jack Zipes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Thanks to Jack Zipes's tireless efforts, this long forgotten folkloric treasure has now been unearthed, to the utter delight of story lovers everywhere...Very highly recommended." -- Robert Rodriquez, Territorial Tattler

About the Author

Laura Gonzenbach was born in Sicily to Swiss-German parents. Her collection of Sicilian fairy and folk tales was first published in 1870 in German. An Italian edition appeared in 2000.

Jack Zipes, one of the world's experts on fairy tales and folklore, is the acclaimed translator of the Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (Bantam), editor of the Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales, and the author of more than a dozen books on children's literature and culture, including Don't Bet on the Prince, Sticks and Stones, and Creative Storytelling, all published by Routledge. He is Professor of German at the University of Minnesota.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (July 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415970695
• ISBN-13: 978-0415970693
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,495,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost fifty new stories about demons and princes alike, February 10, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Robber with a Witch's Head: More Stories from the Great Treasury of Sicilian Folk and Fairy Tales Collected by Laura Gonzenbach (Hardcover)

In 2003 author Jack Zipes translated Beautiful Angiola, the first half of Laura Gonzenbach's treasury of folk and fairy tales told by Sicilian peasants. Now the newly published second installment, Robber With A Witch's Head: More Stories From The Great Treasury Of Sicilian Folk And Fairy Tales , collected by Laura Gonzenbach provides the conclusion of the two volume series with almost fifty new stories about demons and princes alike. In the late 1800s Gozenbach spoke with Italian peasants to gather their stories - but she died young, and many of her papers were destroyed in the 1909 earthquake. It seemed fitting that Jack Zipes, one of the world's experts on fairy tales and folklore, should undertake the task of translating and publishing her life's work: Robber With The Witch's Head is a fitting tribute indeed.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Second and final volume of an important collection, January 31, 2005

By 

Heidi Anne Heiner (SurLaLune Fairy Tales.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Robber with a Witch's Head: More Stories from the Great Treasury of Sicilian Folk and Fairy Tales Collected by Laura Gonzenbach (Hardcover)

This is the second and final volume of Sicilian folk and fairy tales collected by Laura Gonzenbach, now translated by Jack Zipes. The first volume is titled, "Beautiful Angiola."

Here's my review of the first volume which can be applied to this second volume, too. After all, Zipes' introduction is only slightly revised from the first to accommodate the second.

Here the inexhaustible Jack Zipes edits and translates a lesser known, but arguably very important, collection of Sicilian folk and fairy tales. Originally collected and recorded by Laura Gonzenbach in mid-19th century Sicily, these tales provide a different perspective on the folklore of the time and ours today. Zipes argues that this collection is perhaps the most important collection from the time period, even more important than the Grimms' collection. The tales are unadulterated, carefully recorded to reflect the voice of the original teller. Since Gonzenbach collected primarily from women tellers and was herself female, the feminine perspective of the tales hearkens back to the French Salons albeit at a different class level. Be warned that these tales have not been softened and at times reflect the violence, cruelty, and unfairness of life with clear language; these stories are not for the nursery. Zipes' comprehensive introduction and endnotes (including Aarne-Thompson classification numbers) enhance the scholarly weight of the text, but the stories can be read strictly for the enjoyment of the armchair folklorist.

This collection is especially recommended for readers interested in 19th century folktale collections, feminist folklore and Sicily.

Highly recommended.