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 (Editor)
Key Phrases: popolari siciliani, twelve robbers, clever maiden, Master Giuseppe, Saint Joseph, Saint James of Galicia (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Easy to read, elegantly illustrated by Jellin Rock, [the fairy tales] prove critically fascinating ...' - Francesca Orestano, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy

Thanks to Jack Zipess 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

Product Description

In 2003 Jack Zipes translated Beautiful Angiola, the first half of Laura Gonzenbach's astonishing treasury of folk and fairy tales, told and retold by generations of Sicilian peasants. Now the Gonzenbach collection is complete in English: The Robber with the Witch's Head presents almost fifty new stories about demons and clever maidens and princes. Bursting with life, The Robber with the Witch's Head is a storyteller's dream, full of adventure and magic, expertly rendered by the translator of the Brothers Grimm.

what critics have said about Beautiful Angiola:

"The Sicilian tales in Beautiful Angiola are a revelation; not in their originality, because like all great collected folk and fairy tales they are universal. But they have a uniqueness because the flavor of that island off the toe of the boot of Italy is so concentrated, so lusty, so full of sun, lemons and herbs that when reading them, I could taste them. I see a series of paintings inspired by them forming in my head. What a wonderful collection
for any folklorist, Italian and especially Sicilian! Strega Nona (who is Calabrese) approves!." -- Tomie dePaola

"Ostensibly collected for younger readers, the anthology is just as appropriate for an adult audience." - Library Journal

"An extraordinary collection." -- Ruminator Review

"Stories with a feminist slant, strange, quirky and tart. Sometimes shocking, often superb."
--Jacqueline Wilson, author of Girls in Tears and The Lottie Project

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (July 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415970695
• ISBN-13: 978-0415970693
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.4 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.com Sales Rank: #1,273,142 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

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, February 1, 2005

By	Heidi Anne Heiner (SurLaLune Fairy Tales.com) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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.