William Rosenfeld

A collection of thirty short folktales from the Macedonian tradition, divided into three sections: Legends, Peasant Tales, and Animal Tales.

I know very little about Macedonia and its history and culture, so this book served as my introduction to the topic. Many of the stories contained herein have clear parallels in other folk traditions. The village of Mariovo, with its local "wise man," Pejo, struck me as being akin to the Jewish town of Chelm - a fictional location for some very silly people. The story of The People Who Used to Take Their Parents Up to the Mountains to Die reminded me of Velma Wallis' Two Old Women, in its portrayal of a culture which realizes that killing or abandoning the elderly will deprive them of much needed widsom. I also (sadly) recognized the portrayal of the wolf - seen here as rather stupid and credulous - from other folktales I have read.

A short and enjoyable collection, greatly enhanced by the illustrations of Deborah Delaney, The Moon in the Well has convinced me that I need to read more Macedonian stories... but where to find them?… (more)