The Snake Prince and Other Stories: Burmese Folk Tales (International Folk Tales) [Paperback]

Edna Ledgard (Author, Narrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Collector and storyteller Ledgard was raised in Burma (now Myanmar) in the 1930s by missionary parents. Although she now lives in Connecticut, it is clear that the Burma of her childhood is a much-loved memory. In addition to the 25 tales collected here, the author has provided an extensive introduction to Burmese history, religion, and culture, as well as a chronology, a glossary, and a suggested reading list. These materials add considerably to the reader's understanding of the collected stories. The tales themselves are told with forthright simplicity, and the author neither hides nor makes excuses for the contradictions that are a part of any folk culture. Many of the stories will be instantly recognizable for the parallels they have within the Western folklore tradition; others will help illuminate an ancient culture facing the perils of modernization. The stories are ripe for telling, and this book is recommended for all folklore collections.DKatherine Kaigler-Koenig, Ellis Sch., Pittsburgh
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Books (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566563135
• ISBN-13: 978-1566563130
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,163,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen, Oh My Children..., July 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Snake Prince and Other Stories: Burmese Folk Tales (International Folk Tales) (Paperback)

THE SNAKE PRINCE is not a book of fairy tales for children, but an enjoyable, serious collection for the adult reader. The stories are spellbinding in themselves; in addition, Edna Ledgard has written a Preface in which she tells of her childhood in Burma in the 1930s when her interest in the traditional Burmese folk tale was whetted. She follows this with a fascinating narrative of the history of Burma and the life of the Burmese people before World War II. To read Edna Ledgard's beautiful prose is pure pleasure: it is clear and lyrical, with brilliant images that bring Burma and its people to the reader's eyes as vividly as a painting.

"High in the jungle trees, shrieks of magpie and lorikeet and the chatterings of the over-excited monkeys cease at last. Instead, night peepers, crickets, and an owl are heard, and in the distance, the cry of a lonely jackal.

Now, at last, perched cross-legged on a platform in the center of the village, the old storyteller begins:

"Listen, oh my children...."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting look at a distant culture, May 11, 2000

By 

Stephanie Rosheim - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Snake Prince and Other Stories: Burmese Folk Tales (International Folk Tales) (Paperback)

I bought this book for review in a college Southeast Asia class. Having been a fan of Grimm's fairy tales and stories of that type, I found a lot of these retellings familiar in plot. However, the characterizations and behaviors, as well as the settings, provided a distinctively Burmese flavor to the universal stories. With a large historical and cultural overview to start it off, this book provided a good general idea of Southeast Asian culture within and easily understandable and entertaining framework.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as others in the series and more expensive, August 18, 2005

By 

R. Romero "Chiquilla" (San Miguel de Allende, GTO MEXICO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Snake Prince and Other Stories: Burmese Folk Tales (International Folk Tales) (Paperback)

A large portion (perhaps 1/4) of the book is the Introduction. The stories are good (not fantastic), but for $15 I would like more stories and less explination. We own the Russian Gypsy Folk Tales book from this series and it is excellent. This book pales in comparison.