Lyle Saxon (1891–1946)

This really wasn't what I expected. I thought "Folk Tales of Louisiana" would be just that -- tall folk tales, maybe of ghosts, the loup garou, voodoo, etc. But it's much better. It's as if you dropped a listening device into Louisiana in the 1940s and asked everyone to just start talking . . . . about anything. The result is a fascinating mixture of personal memories, stories, myths, historical accounts, and just about everything you could imagine, to give a flavor of life in the Louisiana show more (more New Orleans than other parts of the state) from the late 1800s to 1945.

One of the great things about the WPA Writer's Project was the opportunity it gave writers to capture the life of their time in the first person. This may be the best example I've read. It has an authentic feel to it, owing to the liberal use of direct quotes, and even the sometimes cringe-worthy capture of dialect and attitudes. We learn from first-hand sources about the celebrations, life on the street, gangs, crime, ethnic and racial divides and hierarchies, poverty, pirates, and all the rest. It's not always easy to listen to.

The writers capture what they hear faithfully, relaying what they hear with a raw directness that conveys, for the greatest part, a respect for those they hear it from. The one exception I have to mention is the chapter on "Songs" where I have to imagine a different author (there are three co-authors for the book) takes over, and the voice becomes that of an anthropologist talking about "the Negro", as well as Creole and Cajun life, looking from the outside in, instead of letting the people themselves do the talking. That the chapter stands in such stark contrast to the rest of the book speaks to the authenticity of the remainder, though.

I enjoyed the book immensely, and I learned from it. show less

Early and more than once in "Lafitte The Pirate" (first published in 1930), author Lyle Saxon concedes that distilling truth from legend in researching Jean Lafitte's life is a difficult task. When Saxon wrote this book about a century after the notorious pirate's (noble privateer's? esteemed war hero's?) death, he could uncover no authoritative records conclusively stating even such mundane information as when or where Lafitte was born or died. Accordingly, it's unsurprising that Saxon's show more chronicle of Lafitte's life between those estimated dates is tinged with at least as much myth as fact. The book's consequent and considerable flaws as an accurate historical treatise on Lafitte also render "Lafitte the Pirate" a grand and very entertaining story. While toiling as best he can within the limitations of available sources of varying reliability in detailing Lafitte's life, Saxon strives mightily and successfully to compensate for those limitations by conveying with admirable aptitude the fascinating social, cultural and political atmosphere of New Orleans and Louisiana during Lafitte's lifetime. After all, the back stories to Lafitte's adventures include the Louisiana Purchase, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War of Independence, in each of which "Captain" Lafitte participated for nobility or profit (mostly profit) to one degree or another. The book's large cast of supporting characters, ranging from shady New Orleans ruffians, lawyers and politicians to famous (and often shady) American judges, generals and presidents, makes this entertaining work well worth reading by anyone interested not only in Lafitte himself, but in the man's time and place during a seminal period in American history. show less

Gumbo Ya-Ya: A Collection of Louisiana Folk Tales by Lyle Saxon, Robert Tallant (1945), 1st edition, hardcover (no jacket), 581 pages.

I was able to find this rare first edition (1945) for my Louisiana book collection for $50 on eBay from the Catholic Charities of NE Kansas in Overland, KS. All proceeds went to charity.

A very unique read! The extended title is a little deceiving. This was mostly centered around Creole folklore and many religious superstitions in, specifically, New Orleans show more in early 1940’s. But, there were many odd stories presented by way of real life interviews with a few elders of the city of New Orleans describing their memories of certain events that actually took place and some photos included to go along with the stories. Not all of the stories in this book are folklore; some are actually true. You can also Google some of the other people he writes about and actually find old photos of them online. These stories you may never hear or read about anywhere else. It seems they were gathered just in time, as some of the interviewees were in their 80’s and 90’s in the early 1940’s when these interviews were taking place. They would have been born between about 1850 and 1860 and would have seen a lot of changes over their lifetime. If you are Creole, or have Creole blood, you will find this book extremely interesting. Who knows, you might even find your ancestor’s name mentioned. I looked forward to each chapter because it was a completely different story on something that happened in New Orleans. Some stories were very intriguing, while others, I yawned my way through. show less

How can this be the first review of this richly deserving book? Written by the many contributors to the WPA, this book is just dense with fascinating stories. The illustrators are both very good and the photos are amazing. If there is a better history of this culture, I would like to know what it is.