By Ivan Hudec
Illustrated by Karol Ondreicka
Translated by Emma Nezinska, Jeff Schmitz

Description

The world of Slavic myths is now accessible to English-language readers. These myths, now supplanted by Christian belief, are important to understanding the development of Slavic civilization and character. Slavic Myths is an incomparable general introduction to the topic. The book also features Professor Ondreicka's outstanding artwork, showcasing the high artistic culture of the Slovak Republic.

Slavic Myths presents careful re-tellings of essential Slavic mythology. No other title offers an introduction to Slavic mythology in such an accessible and charming form. The tales and the importance of comparative mythology in the study of history and culture are placed in context in an epilog supplied by Dr. Dusan Caplovic, Vice-President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and a noted anthropologist. The book also includes a pantheon of Slavic gods and deities, bibliography, index, and a map of prehistoric Slavic sites.

Special Features

• Story-narrative by Dr. Ivan Hudec, former Slovak Minister of Culture, and by Jeff Schmitz, an American journalist
  
• Scholarship by Dr. Dusan Caplovic, a distinguished cultural anthropologist and Vice-President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences; Dr. Emma Nezinska, an independent scholar in Slovakia; and Dr. Albert Devine, Jr.D., Ph.D., classics
  
• English version by Drs. Nezinska and Devine and Mr. Schmitz
  
• Artwork: 97 original b/w illustrations by Karol Ondreicka

Author Bio

Dr. Ivan Hudec is a distinguished physician and a noted patron of the arts in the Slovak Republic. He served as the Minister of Culture for the country, and he currently occupies a seat in the Slovak parliament. He lives in Bratislava.

Comments and Reviews

Ivan Hudec's Tales from Slavic Myths is an impressive, informative, and highly entertaining compendium of Slavic folktales and legends and ably translated for English readers by the collaborative efforts of Emma Nezinska, Jeff Schmitz, and Albert Devine. Beautifully illustrated in color by Karol Ondreicka and with an informative afterword by Dusan Caplovic, Tales from Slavic Myths is an impressive addition to any personal, school, or community library mythology collection. The individual stories are divided into three sections: The Age of Dreams; The Stone Age; The Iron Age. For students of Slavic culture and myth, there is the added bonus of a selected bibliography, a section devoted to the Slavic pantheon, and a map of pagan cult sites.

— The Midwest Book Review
March 2001