Jane Yolen's Anticipated Baba Yaga "Verse Novel" and How Taisia's 'Ask Baba Yaga' Advice Column Helped Make it Happen

Yolen’s Finding Baba Yaga is a story in verse
about a teenage runaway who finds herself drawn
into the world of the mythical Slavic witch,
as she sets out to make her own fate,
“a theme that has never been more timely than it is now.”

It's Ms. Yolen's first ever "verse novel" (see below for details on its inspiration) and to say it's highly anticipated by the fairy tale community and Baba Yaga aficionados, might be understating things a tad. Best of all, it's nearly here...

• There is a title. (Finding Baba Yaga)

• There is a book. (It's in the "pre-release" promotion phase)

• There is a release date. (October 30, 2018 - that's this year!)

• There is a cover. (See above)

• And there is an excerpt! (Click HERE, and scroll down, to read it)

• There is also SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT we need to clear up... (read on - you can take a shortcut to the words in bold if you're in a rush)

Little Ivan and Baba Yaga by Julie Rouviére

We're talking about Jane Yolen's long-anticipated book in verse, Finding Baba Yaga. The Mary Sue got the exclusive cover reveal and interview so we're pointing the way, in case you missed the announcement.

There's a little bit of information we wanted to set straight, however. We were very surprised to find Once Upon A Blog/InkGypsy credited with posting the Ask Baba Yaga advice and for being the catalyst that got the book going. In Jane Yolen's introduction, she adds this PS:

PS: In July 2013, I discovered the very strange website http://fairytalenewsblog.blogspot.co.uk which has an ongoing set of weekly posts by Baba Yaga as a Lonely Hearts columnist. The site is written by someone known anonymously as InkGypsy, reputed to be a Russian poet who grew up in the UK.Whoever she is, she’s hilarious and provocative. These poems would not exist without her posts.

While we did post the Ask Baba Yaga columns, weekly as could be managed at the time, Gypsy (aka InkGypsy) did not write them. She only included a personal commentary, added a picture and formatted the posts. The main content, the advice - questions and answers - were, and have always been, the brilliant work of Russian-American writer and poet, aka the "hilarious and provocative"  Taisia Kitaiskaia, and Taisia very kindly gave us permission to reblog these brilliant nuggets of advice at Once Upon A Blog in an ongoing manner.

(Note: We were not even the original publishing 'home' of these letters of advice. That honor - and credit of discovery - belongs to The Hairpin. We have always acknowledged Taisia as the writer and Oracle "speaking on our behalf to Baba Yaga", as well as the original source of The Hairpin, and have linked to her, and The Hairpin, on every Ask Baba Yaga post, but we're also aware that in this age of social media, end matter is easy to skim over and can easily be missed.)

We are so very happy we've helped Taisia's work be seen by more people. Hopefully, even more folks will seek out Taisia's writing and her other wonderfully unique book Literary Witches (created in collaboration with Katy Horan), now her column has been credited in Jane Yolen's newest book. We just want to be very clear that all credit for any creative inspiration lies with our friend Taisia Kitaiskaia and we're very grateful she allowed Once Upon A Blog to be a part of the journey to publication because.. that's right, Taisia's columns have been expanded and made into a book! It's appropriately titled: Ask Baba Yaga: Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Troubles 

Check it out! >>>>>>>

(Psst! Expect a giveaway of that awesome collection in the near future...)

Here is a sneak peek of one of the nuggets of advice included in Ask Baba Yaga (the lovely illustrations and design motifs are by Brenna Thummler:

 

Returning to Finding Baba Yaga, we will admit, knowing now that Taisia's columns kick-started Jane Yolen's writing of her newest book - written entirely in verse! - that makes it a guaranteed sell for us! While we wish we could own every copy of Jane Yolen's books, she is so wonderfully prolific we have to sadly admit we haven't quite completed our (ongoing) collection of her works. This one, however, is moving not only to our shopping basket but will be put firmly on top of our must-read pile as soon as it appears. Poetry is something that's not always easy to read but Yolen's verse often changes minds about that. It's just a different pace for her wonderful storytelling.

Here's what Ms. Yolen had to say to The Mary Sue about creating the work: 

Artist unknown
(pls comment if you know so
we can correct the credit)

Baba Yaga is my culture hero—the strongest and greatest witch in the world. She makes her own way, is both anarchic and eternal, has transportation that runs on pure energy which has the added value of not destroying the earth, and she always says what she thinks. How could you not admire her? 

I first learned about Baba Yaga as a ballet kid in the 1940s, one of those New York City girls studying at Balanchine’s school of ballet. Maria Tallchief was my ballerina crush and she once hung her practice tutu on my locker! She was the world’s greatest dancer at the time, and her most iconic role was Firebird. 

Being a bookish kid, from a Russian Jewish background, I wanted to find out more about Firebird—and there she was, on the pages of some long-forgotten book in my parents’ library, along with the other two famous Russian folklore characters—Koschei the Deathless, and Baba Yaga. 

So from the time I was about eight years old, I wanted to be Baba Yaga, gnashing my iron teeth. Riding in a mortar steered by a pestle. Living in a little house that walked about on chicken feet. Well, since I couldn’t, I wrote about her when I got older—in a picture book called “The Flying Witch,” in a short story called “Boris Chernevsky’s Hands,” in a graphic novel called “Curses, Foiled Again,” and in a novel written with Midori Snyder, Except the Queen. Except. . . Midori claimed the Baba as her character before I could do so, so I invented three black witch sisters living in Harlem to make up for my loss. 

All the while, I was writing poetry about Baba Yaga and one day I realized I had almost enough for a possible collection, but there was a story beating inside me that pulled all the poems together, and insisted on being told. And so my first ever verse novel was born. It took possibly four years in the writing, and four more in the selling, but when my editor at Tor, Susan Chang said: “I don’t actually like poetry and I couldn’t stop reading this mss.” I thought: maybe this will actually become a book some day! 

And as if I were the Baba herself, my prophecy has come true!

And we couldn't be more thrilled! 

While the sneak peek gives us the introduction and the first verse, introducing the idea of Baba Yaga to the reader, knowing the Lonely Hearts advice column sparked the idea of a teenage runaway finding her way into the realm of our favorite witch, makes us mightily intrigued. 

Here's the official description of Finding Baba Yaga by legendary writer, and "America's Hans Christian Andersen" Jane Yolen:

Baba Yaga by Rima Staines

A young woman discovers the power to speak upand take control of her fate―a theme that has never been more timely than it is now… 

You think you know this story. 

You do not. 

A harsh, controlling father. A quiescent mother. A house that feels like anything but a home. Natasha gathers the strength to leave, and comes upon a little house in the wood: A house that walks about on chicken feet and is inhabited by a fairy tale witch. In finding Baba Yaga, Natasha finds her voice, her power, herself.... 

A mythic yet timely novel-in-verse by the beloved and prolific author and poet Jane Yolen, “the Hans Christian Andersen of America.”

You can pre-order Finding Baba Yaga HERE.

A Look At The Ash Lad With Translator Simon Hughes

Ash Lad and the Troll by Thomas Gronbukt

At first glance, a name like 'Ash Lad' might lead someone not familiar with Norwegian tales to think this popular character was just a male version of Cinderella. While the two characters share some aspects beyond the name similarities, such as a lowly position in their household and caring for the fire, Ash Lad has much more in common with the English Jack and the Russian Ivan. In their respective folklore and fairy tales, all three of them, while usually considered a little dim, or naive, are not necessarily the idiots the rest of the village (or family) would say they are. Sometimes they are quite smart, but also sometimes not, depending on the tale. What can be agreed on though, is that they're all, very, very lucky.

Interestingly, the Wikipedia article on Ash Lad (Askeladden) adds this little nugget, explaining partly why we make the Cinderella association, though the earliest known tale uses the name Askefis*:

In Asbjørnsens's first edition (1843), the name is rendered as Askepott, which in Norway is commonly associated with Cinderella. This was later turned into Askeladden by Moltke Moe.

Our guest blogger today, Simon Hughes, looks at how the name Ash Lad came to be, and why it can be confusing, even, at times, misleading.

The Ash Lad

(Behind the Name)

by Simon Hughes

(re-posted in full with kind permission)

The protagonist in a good number of Norwegian folktales, Askeladden (often translated as “Boots”, or “the Ash Lad”) is an apparent naïf, though he subsequently shows himself to be witty, shrewd, and fantastically resourceful. The oldest recorded form of the name is Oskefis (“ash-blower” - although “fis” has evolved to mean “fart” in modern Norwegian), denoting one who blows the embers to keep the fire going, a job often reserved for the lowest member of the household. Later oral traditions give the name Oskeladd, Oskelabb, Oskelamp, or Oskefot, where the second stem (-ladd, -labb, -lamp, -fot) denotes a rough woollen sock or slipper, suggesting this character has his feet in, or close to, the hearth.

Theodor Kittelsen - The Ash Lad Poking in the Ashes
(FTNH Ed: We like how he is being creative with the embers!)

In some tales, Askeladden's forename is given as Espen, Svein, Halvor, Lars, Hans, or Tyrihans. Tyrihans is a household function, though, like Askeladden: “Hans who looks after the "tyrived”, tyrived being the resin-laden pinewood used as kindling. This name suggests that Askeladden has complete responsibility for the fire, from collecting kindling, to lighting it, to tending it - quite an important job on the farm, in fact.**

Thanks Simon! 

You can read more of Simon's project of translating Norwegian Folktales (that is, to complete the translation of all of Asbjørnsen and Moe's collected tales to English), at his blog HERE. Here's his explanation of the project to inspire you to explore the ever-growing treasure trove there:

About the Norwegian Folktales Project by Simon Hughes 

The collection 

Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe collected and published Norwegian folk tales and legends in the middle of the 19^thcentury. Whilst some of the tales are very well known in the English-speaking world, such as "The Three Billy-goats Gruff," many more are completely unknown, never having been translated. Imagine! All the trolls and hulders and nisses you may not have read about, yet. 

(FTNH Ed. As an example, The Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library edition of Norwegian Folktales contains 36 of the 110 listed as being collected, not including the 31 additional tales from the 'Round the Yule Log' collection, which doesn't count the variants of a few of those either. All other A&M English collections we've found have the phrase "selected from the collection of" in the subtitle. Even with the final tale numbers being a little difficult to count in light-research-mode, it's clear most English collections fall far short of including the bulk, let alone all, of Asbjørnsen and Moe's collected tales, so we're very excited to learn of this project!)

The project 

My intention with this project is to give the collection the treatment it deserves as a part of our world literature, and translate and publish the folklore that Asbjørnsen and Moe collected, in English analogues to the original publications. I am beginning with Peter Christen Asbjørnsen's Norwegian Hulder Tales and Folk Legends (1845/ 48), which has not appeared in English before.As I progress, I will continue to publish each tale on this site, when I have edited it enough to call it a final draft.

Simon (click his name to learn more about him) has a mailing list to keep you in the loop for updates and new tales, which we highly recommend joining. He also has a newly published, intriguing book of Norwegian tales...

You can click on the image above to be taken to the book options.

Every purchase supports his work!

Simon is also translating the Norwegian literary fairy tales of Regine Normann! Simon writes: "She wrote two volumes of literary fairy tales, and two volumes of legends set in the north of Norway. None of these volumes has ever been translated into English, and so the English-speaking world has no idea of the riches it has been missing, for the last eighty years." Here's a small summary on Regina Normann from the Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folklore and Fairy Tales (her name is highlighted):

You can find his Regine Normann project HERE.

It's probably easiest to find Simon on Twitter HERE - something we also recommend. Personable and with that true "folklorist-joy" of discussing all things fairy tale (but particularly those of Norwegian origin), he's a continual delight to tweet with. His comments and insights are most commonly seen being retweeted and discussed on our favorite day in social media each week, #FolkloreThursday.

Askeladden who got the princess
to say he was lying ( Asbjørnsen & Moe)
Artist: Erik Werenskiold (1855-1938)

Sources for Askeladden/Ash Lad:

• https://snl.no/askeladden
• https://snl.no/Askefis
• https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskefisen
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Askeladden
• http://www.nob-ordbok.uio.no/perl/ordbok.cgi?OPP=ladd
• http://www.nob-ordbok.uio.no/perl/ordbok.cgi?OPP=tyri

* Askefis is the name of the joint Nordic Askeladden. The name denotes one who blows on the embers (from fisa: blow, breathe) to get the fire to flare up. In some places in the Nordic region Askefis denotes a supernatural being that is located in the firepit, "the firepit spirit"; it is likely that the fairy-tale name of the disdained, but always fortunate son, who lingers by the fireplace, is a transfer from here, but probably affected by one or more foreign names of the fairy-tale "lier-in-the-ashes". The name Askefis (Norwegian most often "Oskefis") first appears in Nordic literature in the 1400s (in proverbs). (From Norwegian Encyclopedia - updated 3/3/18 from our original posting using Google Translate, to a much better translation, with special thanks to Simon Hughes)

** Important job?! Absolutely! This is Norway we're talking about. Pre-modern technology, a family would likely freeze to death much of the year if the fire in their hearth went out! [The hottest month in Oslo, the capital, averages 64°F (18°C) while the median lowest temp in Winter is 27°F (-3°C). Brr!]

Coming in October: 'Tales of Wonder: Retelling Fairy Tales through Picture Postcards'

We need this! Since the advent of Pinterest (our happy place on the internet), people have collected all sorts of obscure fairy tale postcard images from auction sites, Ebay and their own scans. There have been so many new-to-us images, it's like a portal to how painters at the turn of the century (in particular), viewed fairy tales, not to mention just how very many there have been over the years, that we had no idea existed until quite recently. We're sure this new volume will have much more than just these (we are talking about a Zipes book where, so no doubt there will be tons of chewy informational goodness as part of the package) but we're looking forward to filling in the gaps on how fairy tales have been visually represented - and spread around the world, via airmail in particular (so traveling from country to country), over time, and what impact that has had on how fairy tale impressions and images have been disseminated.

Take a look at the juicy description. (We are so excited about this study! And note the bonus Marina Warner input):

The most familiar fairy tales call to mind certain images: Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty. Yet these visions often merely reflect illustrations encountered in classic tellings of the tales. The postcards gathered here by one of the world’s foremost scholars of folk and fairy tales tell another story—of the remarkable range of interpretations and reimaginings these tales have inspired, captured, and conveyed picture by picture in this singular form. 

A pictorial history of fairy-tale postcards from the late nineteenth century to the present, Tales of Wonder presents a fascinating look at how key scenes of fairy tales have been rendered over time, suggesting a rethinking and reliving of the tales through the years. 

Drawn from the author’s collection of more than three thousand fairy-tale postcards from around the world, these five hundred beautiful illustrations reproduce oil paintings, watercolors, photographs, ink drawings, and silhouettes—all evincing the myriad ways popular artists and their audiences have reimagined these tales. After an introduction and general history of fairy tales in postcards, the book features Jack Zipes’s own translations of the most classical fairy tales in Europe and the United States, including versions by Charles Perrault and by Brothers Grimm. 

The fairy tale is not just once upon a time: it is, as fairy-tale postcard, a particular if not peculiar expression of a time, created by talented artists and innovative publishing companies. Tales of Wonder tells this intriguing history of the postcards as well as providing new perspectives on familiar stories.

Aside: Whoa. Jack Zipes has more than three-thousand fairy tale postcards from all over the globe?! How awesome is that?

(Translate: we are a little jealous and wish we could visit, have tea and look at every one!)

'Tales of Wonder: Retelling Fairy Tales through Picture Postcards' will be available October 10, 2017 but you can pre-order now.

Note: artists of fairy tale postcards aren't always easy to figure out. Click the images to enlarge to full size. Most have an artist signature of some type, though they're not always straight forward to interpret. These images do not represent the content of the book. They are meant as examples of genuine fairy tale postcards only.

Beautiful Retelling 'The Crane Girl' Interweaves Haiku Through Storytelling To Reveal Characters Thoughts & Feelings

The Crane Girl illustration by Lin Wang

We have to admit, one review and a glimpse of the cover and we were sold on this book. That was quickly followed by an overwhelming number of five star reviews and even more gorgeous illustrations peeks inside, along with phrases like "the perfect folktale retelling", and then we read this:

from the darkness
an animal's sudden cry -
its fear, and mine

Yasuhiro dropped his armload of firewood to follow the sound across the sharp buckwheat stubble of the Landlord's field. He almost stepped on the crane, nearly invisible where it lay in the snow. A trap held one foot, but the crane looked unharmed. As Yasuhiro knelt, the bird closed its eyes and shuddered.

cold hard trap -
he sets me free
with warm hands

(Opening Lines from The Crane Girl by Curtis Manley)

Whoa. We're hooked.

The watercolor illustrations by artist Lin Wang, are lyrical, magical and well, stunning! Everything you want in a picture book, as far as the art goes, but there are even more wonderful layers woven into this updated retelling of the Japanese fairy tale, The Crane Wife, to bring different dimensions to the storytelling as well.

Not only is the prose the perfect storytelling tone for a classic fairy tale (and wonderful for reading aloud), but as you might have guessed from the opening excerpt above, throughout the story, haikus appear, illuminating various characters thoughts and feelings of the scene described or illustrated, as well as helping to reflect the cultural setting of the tale. It's wonderfully unique, sensitively done, and perfect for introducing children to magical retellings that incorporate beautiful and captivating storytelling, lush images and, harder to impart, snatches of poetry that express simply and succinctly the inner lives of those involved along the way.

“from the darkness / an animal’s sudden cry— / its fear, and mine …”
(Click to see full size)

We already want more stories told this way!

Writer, Curtis Manley, actually used a few variations of The Crane Wife to adapt his story and added his own variation as well.

In a closing note, the author writes: "In the West, only two versions [of this story] are known well. In The Crane Wife (Tsuru Nyobo), a young man rescues a crane and then gives shelter to a mysterious young woman. They fall in love and get married, but when she begins weaving wonderful cloth, his greed and curiosity drive her away. In the version known as The Grateful Crane (Tsuru no Ongaeshi, literally “the crane’s return of a favor”), an old, childless couple gives shelter to a young woman, but again the crane leaves when her identity is discovered." He goes on to say that, in other versions, various animals take the place of the crane. The closing author’s note also includes more information on Japanese poetic forms. (SevenImpossibleThings)

“When the bird stood up, it was as tall as Yasuhiro.
He stroked the soft feathers on its long neck with his fingertips, and the bird
gently pressed the red top of its head against Yasuhiro’s face. …”
(Click to see full size)

We found an interview at DeborahKalbBooks with the author in which he talks about what drew him to this tale in the first place, and why he adapted it the way he did:

Q: Why did you decide to adapt this Japanese folk tale, and how did you change it from the original?
A: Over the years I’ve enjoyed reading many different folktales and legends from around the world, but have been especially drawn to those from the Pacific Northwest and from Japan.
When I heard The Decemberists’ album The Crane Wife in 2006, I was reminded of how much I liked that specific Japanese folktale. It involves a man who rescues and sets free an injured crane; soon after that, a beautiful woman knocks on the door asking to stay. Eventually they marry.
When his new wife mysteriously weaves fabric that he sells for a good price in the market, the man’s greed for more causes the woman to leave forever.
My change was to have not an adult but a young boy rescue the crane, and it is a young girl who appears at the door seeking shelter. The boy’s father is the one who becomes greedy, not the boy, and so in the end the boy and girl are able to remain together.
My adaptation retains all the traditional elements of the plot, but involves main characters close to the reader’s age—and it ends on a more positive note.

We admit we were skeptical at first of this 'new happier ending', since in our mind, although the Crane Wife eventually leaves, and it is sad, it's also a good example of a woman's self-emancipation, that is, freedom from being dictated to and controlled by her partner and by greed, eventually causing her harm. The shift in character ages - and responsibilities - in Manley's retelling, however, make for a version children are more likely to relate to, and from what we can tell, the boy has some choices - different choices - of his own to make, giving a different spin to the usual 'animal bride' fairy tales - one that feels appropriate for a modern audience but also fits with the traditional, pre-industrial feel of the tale. The best part? Even with the 'twist' it stays true to the story of The Crane Wife!

Another excerpt from the same interview continues below:

...When I was just beginning work on The Crane Girl, I knew I wanted to include haiku along with references to certain foods, crops, and customs. Using the haiku to reveal the thoughts of the characters then came naturally—at least, that’s how I remember it now.

“The next night someone knocked on the door. Yasuhiro opened it and
found a girl standing there, pale and shivering, tears frozen on her cheeks. …”
(Click to see full size)

Q: What do you think the illustrations, by Lin Wang, add to the book?
A: Folktales, like epic poems and Shakespeare’s plays, retain their relevance and power even if retold in new settings. Nonetheless, setting The Crane Girl in pre-industrial Japan kept it closer to the roots of the original folktales—and the itinerant storytellers who performed them.
Lin’s images bring that setting to life in the specificity of detail in the house, village, and clothing—and the in the crane’s plumage and features.
But at the same time the beauty and luminosity of the illustrations also give the reader hints at the magic that underlies the story—magic that the boy and his father are mostly unaware of until the end.
The cover and interior illustrations are so gorgeous that I hope no one is let down by the words and poems of my text!

To give you a better idea of how the book is laid out and the story told, we're including some reviews below:

“The polished, full-color illustrations … complement the lyrical text. Interspersed, color-coded haiku reveal the characters’ unspoken thoughts… More from this team would be a welcome addition to folk-tale collections.” Kirkus (starred review) 

“Snatches of haiku add depth to this story based on traditional Japanese folktales. … Exquisite watercolor illustrations accompany the text. … This well-crafted tale offers [readers] an introduction to traditional Japanese culture and folklore…” School Library Journal

Fairy tale bonus of the day:

You can read an interview with the author, Curtis Manley HERE, about how he loves, writes and gives advice about poetry, as well as his process for writing The Crane Girl.

You can also read an interview with artist Lin Wang HERE and see a lot more of her amazing and beautiful watercolor illustrations.

Review: 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice - An Anthology of Magical Tales' aka Harry Potter Tales for Fairy Tale Folk & Fairy Tales for Harry Potter Folk

Fairy tale lovers will delight in these spellbinding tales, where young heroes comply with or rebel against teachers with magical powers. 

One of the lights of our Fairy Tale News Hound's childhood was her father's record collection, particularly the classical LPs* and the tales the music told her. Dukas' score for The Sorcerer's Apprentice, in particular, didn't need narration. It created images of magic and peril in her head long before it became associated with Disney. By the time she got to see Mickey overrun by legions of brooms she already knew the story, as well as that learning magic is a hard thing; that magic doesn't really create shortcuts but comes with complications of its own, and learning - and teaching - magic guarantees a life filled with hard work and frustration, where things (and people) often won't behave as they ought, but also that the possibilities for wonder and adventure are endless. That tale, and it's lesson, have been a touchstone ever since.

Harry Potter & Dumbledore by Jim Kay

Is it any wonder Rowling's Harry Potter books appeared on the scene and stole so many hearts with her relatable series? Now we have a fairy tale collection that not only pays homage to the popularity of Rowling's creations but collects Potter's many 'ancestors' from around the world.

Yes - you read it correctly: we finally have a book of Harry Potter stories for fairy tale folk and a book of fairy tales for Harry Potter folk! 

Edited and introduced by esteemed fairy tale expert Jack Zipes this collection isn't just a handy volume of tales of this type, but also presents some good and chewy food for thought on why this type of tale - the magical learner, the wizard assistant, the sorcerer's apprentice - is more popular than ever.

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
poem by Goethe, artist unknown

Here's an excerpt from a paper Zipes' wrote on the Sorcerer's Apprentice tale a couple of years ago (note: the weird sentence formatting is ours, to help pace the reader as if we were saying it aloud, so you can 'hear' the emphasis and relevance for today): 

To know who we are, where we are, and where we are going, we need... storytellers who are consciousness raisers and stories that are consciousness raising.

Otherwise, living in the world is but an illusion and delusion.

Otherwise, we are controlled by self-serving masters who are not aware of how blind they are and try to lead us blindly along paths of destruction and self-destruction.

Otherwise, we will be controlled by authoritarian magicians who cast spells with words of deception and self-aggrandizement that celebrate nothing but their powers to dominate, if not mutilate and annihilate, other human beings. 

Bearing this in mind, I continue to ponder why J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels (and all the similar and imitative narratives)... have achieved such astounding popularity.

(from The Master Slave Dialectic in The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Jack Zipes. Academic Journal Article in Storytelling, Self, Society Vol 11, No. 1, April 2015)

by Robin Muller

It's not difficult to imagine such tales have intriguing people centuries ago. Life was hard - really hard - and magic would have been a great shortcut to happiness, or at least getting a little needed shut-eye. Interestingly, while this is undoubtedly the initial appeal, the tale content is often the opposite, as in "magic isn't for idiots" and "you think life is hard work? Add some magic and make it worse!". Now, however, in an age of invisible technology, when science daily achieves the unimaginable, and there appears to be no corner left for Wonder to be discovered, the yearning to have 'a touch of magic' in our lives is, if anything, stronger again, as testified to by the popularity of Harry Potter and his magical education.

Rowling, fortunately for generations of readers, found the 'sweet spot' of telling fantasy to show truth - something the author is passionate about in all her storytelling and in her personal projects and causes. Her stories of magical apprenticeship, of balancing the non-magical (muggle) life with the magical, don't shy away from ll the complications contained in the two types of tales we find in Zipes' collection: both 'The Humiliated Apprentice' who is a bumbler and encourages deference to teachers with more experience, as well as 'The Rebellious Apprentice' who follows their own path to self-empowerment and new discovery. Both types of stories continue to resonate with people around the world but it could be the combination of the two into one 'era of learning' at Hogwarts, that has infused the genre with new life. Even so, they are not new, but the tales of our generation/s, created in a long tradition of these types of stories, and this new volume both tracks and pays homage to that history of disobedient enchanted objects, magical inexperience and mishap and in taking back power that is rightfully ours to wield... when we've learned how.

Here's the press release:

Disney's Mickey as The Sorcerer's Apprentice from Fantasia

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" might conjure up images of Mickey Mouse from the Disney film Fantasia, or of Harry Potter. As this anthology reveals, however, "sorcerer's apprentice" tales—in which a young person rebels against, or complies with, an authority who holds the keys to magical powers—have been told through the centuries, in many languages and cultures, from classical times to today. This unique and beautifully illustrated book brings together more than fifty sorcerer's apprentice stories by a plethora of writers, including Ovid, Sir Walter Scott, and the Brothers Grimm. From Goethe's "The Pupil in Magic" to A. K. Ramanujan's "The Guru and His Disciple," this expansive collection presents variations of a classic passed down through countries and eras.

A female apprentice retelling by Nancy Willard

Readers enter worlds where household objects are brought to life and shape-shifting occurs from human to animal and back again. We meet two types of apprentice: "The Humiliated Apprentice," a foolish bumbler who wields magic ineffectively and promotes obedience to authority; and "The Rebellious Apprentice" who, through ambition and transformative skills, promotes empowerment and self-awareness. In an extensive introduction, esteemed fairy-tale scholar Jack Zipes discusses the significance and meaning of the apprentice stories, the contradictions in popular retellings, and the importance of magic as a tool of resistance against figures who abuse their authority. Twenty specially commissioned black-and-white illustrations by noted artist Natalie Frank bring the stories to visual life.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice enlightens and entertains readers with enduring, spellbinding tales of sorcery that have been with us through the ages.

As mentioned in the blurb above, a bonus in the volume is the introductory chapter - which is more of an extended work and 'mini-thesis' in its own right - titled The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Harry Potter and Why Magic Matters. We're listing the sub-headings to show you why this is a volume you should really consider adding to your collection as, it turns out that The Sorcerer's Apprentice tale truly is "a story whose ‘story' needs to be told." (whether or not the apprentice's name is Harry - or Hermione):

One of the twenty paintings for

The Sorcerer's Apprentice Anthology of Magical Tales

illustrated by Natalie Frank

• The Harry Potter Novels As Fairy Tale (with lots of useful ATU discussion and references in the mix)
• The Humiliated Apprentice (curiosity killed the cat kids!)
• The Rebellious Apprentice (take back the night!)
• Hegel's Master-Slave Dialectic (don't be put off by the title - it discusses the push and pull of both the above tale forms and how systems of thought in different cultures have been attracted to both, making them popular)
• Memes, "Magicity", and Cultural Memory (basically how kids, and their love of Grumpy Cat fit into the mix, along with stuff that used to be categorized as magic and patterns of magic in tales and more - you'll have to look up 'magicity' for yourself! [No, Grumpy Cat is not specifically named but she is represented. Yes, Grumpy Cat is female.])
• Krabat, the Rebellious Apprentice in Lusatia and Central Europe (basically commenting on the last, largest Harry Potter craze before our current one and the theories of 'why' behind it)
• The Curious Cinematic Struggle Over the "True " Sorcerer's Apprentice (discussing how fairy tales, films, fantasy and politics have all held hands in films telling stories of these tale types, as well as how this struggle was magically and visually represented [think iconic and 'unforgettable sequences'] - and also - why have we not heard of, let alone seen, Sidney Levee's stop motion, 10 minute, black and white film 'The Wizard's Apprentice' of 1930, that predates 'Fantasia'?!)
• Overcoming Abuse in the Novels and Stories About Apprentices (what it says - but also discussing the wide divide between children's picture books that take the didactic route of 'curiosity killed the cat', versus the next level - teen and YA novels that feature 'humiliation and rebellion', and developing beyond that to novels like 'Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell' who must come to terms with magic and eventually restore it to the world.)

As a book of tales for 'now' in this political and social climate, there is much wry smiling to be had as we find parallels in the tales to the commentaries of today's media. Indeed, contemporary American artist, Natalie Frank's specially commissioned black and white paintings for the book, printed throughout, certainly echo the types of illustrations one sees in political satire and commentaries of such publications as The New Yorker, and that's not a coincidence.

As a result, you should not be surprised that this book qualifies for our Recommended Resistance Reads. #RRR

Cover spread - click to view full size

Endorsements:

"Jack Zipes has always been a kind of sorcerer himself, skilled in discovering, transforming, translating, and understanding the old tales of magic that appear in different but similar forms all over the world. This is a wonderful collection."—Alison Lurie, author of Don't Tell the Grown-Ups: The Subversive Power of Children's Literature 

"In this rich and wonderful anthology, Zipes makes a powerful case for the salience and enduring timelessness of the sorcerer tales, not only historically in light of the vastness of the variants that have come down to us but also because of the social, psychological, liberationist, and subversive relevance of the tales even today. This is a story whose ‘story' needs to be told."—Donald Beecher, Carleton University 

"Zipes's outstanding and important book presents a compelling look at the traditional tale ‘The Magician and His Pupil,' and the copious international, intercultural variations of this story. Readers will find trenchant insights and may be surprised to learn that a tale they thought they knew has much greater complexity than they imagined."—Pauline Greenhill, coeditor of Fairy-Tale Films Beyond Disney

Note: We'd love to further entice you with a list of tales but it's a decent collection and makes for a big list, so you can look those up for yourself right HERE. And true to Zipes-form, it includes a fantastic bibliography of both works referenced and cited, but also of where each of the tales can be found. (Seriously - doing some 'fairy tales that came before Harry Potter and similar novels' research? This is your go-to list, right here.)

* Truth be told it was also the source of her getting her hide quite severely tanned, when at age three she imagined the music of each disc playing in her head as she practiced skating smoothly across the floor on their shiny black surfaces... but that's another tale.

'Make Fairyland Great Again' by N.T.O. Zamboni

We've had eras of fractured fairy tales rising in popularity, and it would appear that this is one of them.

This volume of fractured retellings was written in response to the results of the election last November and have proved even more popular than the author, N.T.O. Zamboni, expected.

Here's the blurb:

Normally, fairytales and fables teach important lessons:

Build a house to fend off deplorable wolves.

Don’t be tempted by candied false promises.

Beware of golden-haired thieves stealing your porridge.

But this is not normal. Trump is not normal. We need updated, 21st-century fairytales to warn against new threats. Tremendous threats. Crude, demented, racist, misogynistic threats. 

Make Fairyland Great Again is a collection of twenty-one revised folk stories and parables: Sleeping Beauty, the Frog Prince, Ali Baba, Rapunzel, the Pied Piper, the Three Little Pigs, and many more! 

(However, just like Trump himself, this book is not appropriate for children.)

There are quite a number available online to read for free HERE and HERE.

Your (free) choices are:

• The Ant and the Grasshopper
• The Emperor's New Clothes (an incredibly popular fairy tale right now!)
• Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
• The Frog Prince
• Sleeping Beauty

Should you feel like reading even more or adding this book to your library (or supporting the author), you can find it HERE.

Benjamin Lacombe's 'Through the Looking Glass' Released

Behold the lovely trailer for Benjamin Lacombe's new book Through the Looking Glass, released the last week of November in France with this lovely promo following a week or so into December afterward.

We do love how he adapt his artwork for animation so delicately.

Wishing you peace, comfort and joy too for the end of the year and leaving you with this hug as we head into holiday mode here at Fairy Tale News Headquarters.