Illustrated by Martin Benka
Translated by Peter Strelinger (Slovak), Lucy Bednar (English)

Description

Pavol Dobsinsky (1828-1888) is Slovakia's Homer, who collected and wrote down Slovak Oral Folk Tales.

Martin Benka (1888–1977), one of Slovakia's greatest artists, illustrated Dobsinsky's Slovak Tales.

Lucy Bednar is a Comenius University Fulbright Scholar who translated this first English edition of Dobinsky's Slovak Tales.

Peter Strelinger is a Slovak writer who developed a new Slovak version of Dobsinsky's work.

This collaborative work showcases to the English-speaking world Slovak folk tales by Pavol Dobsinky and 14 color and 60 black and white reproductions of the work of Slovak artist Martin Benka. The book is bilingual, with English translations in front and the original Slovak version in the back of the book.

Slovak Tales for Young and Old is the first translation into English of these stories, representative of Slovak oral tradition, collected and written by Pavol Dobsinsky, as well as a new edition of Dobsinksky in modern Slovak. The book is also the debut of the Slovak artist Martin Benka into the English-speaking world.

This book is a superb sampling of Slovak literature and art — give this Slovak national monument to your progeny and friends, and to America at large.

Slovak Oral Tradition

The fifteen Slovak folk fairy tales contained in this collection are a genuine treasure for anyone interested in the documentation of culture, or simply in the pure pleasure of reading a good story. The tales were collected by Slovak scholar and cultural researcher Pavol Dobsinsky, a man of many dimensions, including poet, pastor, teacher, editor, and translator, who lived from 1828 to 1885 in that part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that would become the present-day Slovak Republic.

Dobsinsky's life-long interest in folk culture culminated in the publication of the eight-volume Popular Slovak Folk Tales. Published between 1880 and 1883, this work is the largest and most comprehensive collection of Slovak folk fairy tales in existence. It set a standard of excellence for future research, and it became an essential component in later studies of Slovak folklore. For the Slovak people, it is a national treasure.

Although the tales Dobsinksy collected have much in common with other European folk fairy tales, they are also uniquely Slovak. References to food (especially soup) and farming reflect the culture out of which they came, and the illustrations of the celebrated Slovak illustrator Martin Benka (1888-1971) capture the look and feel of a time long gone, especially in the characteristically Slovak clothing of the characters. But the tales also capture the more elusive qualities of Slovak culture, those that are hardest to articulate because they exist between the lines of description and dialogue and are ultimately the result of many details that intertwine and influence one another.

The tales chosen for this collection fall into three broad categories: traditional fairy tales, complete with magic spells, wicked stepmothers, multi-headed dragons, and fantastic journeys; animal tales, in which many of the principal characters are barnyard or forest creatures with human traits, including the ability to speak; and finally, what might be called folk tales, in which an ordinary individual is able to outwit a potential enemy, human or otherwise, and triumph in the end, sometimes quite by accident. Some of the tales incorporate elements of two or all three of these categories.

Folk tales and fairy tales appeal to me personally not only because the kid in me enjoys their magical and moral character, but also because the adult in me enjoys how they always say more than they seem to say and can be read on more than one level. Hence the title Slovak Tales for Young and Old.

—from the Introduction by Lucy Bednar

Comments and Reviews

Cultural worship of Gods was an inextricable part of everyday life for the ancient Slavs. The ancient Slavic mind was open to nature and the material manifestations of weather..." With these introductory remarks from Tales from Slavic Myths, welcome to the world of ancient mythology—-Slavic style. Edith Hamilton may not have touched on most of the Slavic gods featured in this book but, nonetheless, these Slavic myths deserve a rightful place in the canon of ancient mythology. These tales, penned by Ivan Hudec, former Minister of Culture, are presented along with 97 original color illustrations by Dr. Karol Ondreicka. This beautiful hardbound book may be a bit pricey (and is thus understandably published in a limited edition) but worth every cent of its price tag. These ancient tales are retold in a larger-print, easy-to-read style; however, it would behoove the reader unfamiliar with mythology to read the latter section of the book first where some introductory info can be found. The book unfortunately lacks a formal introduction, but does have an extensive afterword by Dusan Caplovic (of the Slovak Academy of Sciences) who provides a lot of detail about the cradleland origins and evolution of Christianity in the Slavic lands. There are also maps and legends of ancient Slavic pagan sites; a detailed bibliography and a very helpful and interesting "Slavic pantheon of mythological divinities." Throughout the text, side bars of background information help fill in the gaps, too. Indeed, "...the spiritual world and imagery of the Early Slavs was fabulously rich" and anyone interested in early Slavic history needs to know these tales. Even contemporary readers of Slavic literature will run across an occasional mention to one of these mythological figures (Czech author Jachym Topol mentions "Baba Yaga" in his recent novel, CitySisterSilver). So curl up one chilly evening, turn off the TV and lose yourself in the wild/magical world of Slavic mythology!

— Virginia Parobek

Slovak Tales For Young And Old: Pavol Dobsinksy In English And Slovak is an engaging collection of tales derived from classic Slovakian literature, and imbued with tradition. Smoothly translated by Lucy Bednar into English for readers of all ages to enjoy, and featuring impressive illustrations by Martin Benka which enhance these colorful and vivacious fables and folklore, Slovak Tales For Young And Old is a welcome and much appreciated contribution to family, school, and community library Folklore, Fairytale & Mythology collections.

—Midwest Book Review
Children's Bookwatch - May 2003