The Wedding of the Dead: Ritual, Poetics, and Popular Culture in Transylvania (Studies on the History of Society and Culture) [Paperback]

Gail Kligman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Though the Communist regime has transformed the rhythms of village life in the Socialist republic of Romania, the state has tolerated its traditional rituals. This work, based on 17 months of fieldwork in the village of Maramures, analyzes weddings and funerals through the oral poetry accompanying these rites of passage. Included in the work are a detailed sociological portrait of Maramures and dozens of poems, toasts, laments, and songs (in the original language with English translation) pointing to the personal as well as the sociocentric concerns of this peasant community. Winnie Lambrecht, Brown Univ., Providence
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 12 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (April 4, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520069641
• ISBN-13: 978-0520069640
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,223,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Transylvania, May 22, 2009

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Theseus "theseus" (US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wedding of the Dead: Ritual, Poetics, and Popular Culture in Transylvania (Studies on the History of Society and Culture) (Paperback)

This review relates to the University of California hardback edition, jointly released in the US and the UK, ISBN 0520060016.

A journey into contemporary life-cycle rituals: weddings, funerals, and death-weddings in Transylvania. Author Kligman spent over a year with Transylvanian peasants, yielding a book "beautifully written and moving," as it examines the contents of contemporary peasant rituals, lore, and oral poetry.

Most importantly, Kligman looks at how these societies use metaphor and symbol within the context of a modern, ever-present, socialistic state, allowing "the villagers to expres emotions and negotiate relations among themselves and the state."

Hardback with a sewn binding in dustjacket. Cloth over boards. Photo plates. 410 pp. 5 Appendices, Glossary, Index. 50 pp of narrative End Notes and an 18 p Bibliography.