The Robber with a Witch's Head: More Stories from the Great Treasury of Sicilian Folk and Fairy Tales Collected by Laura Gonzenbach

In 2003 author Jack Zipes translated Beautiful Angiola, the first half of Laura Gonzenbach's treasury of folk and fairy tales told by Sicilian peasants. Now the newly published second installment, Robber With A Witch's Head: More Stories From The Great Treasury Of Sicilian Folk And Fairy Tales , collected by Laura Gonzenbach provides the conclusion of the two volume series with almost fifty new stories about demons and princes alike. In the late 1800s Gozenbach spoke with Italian peasants to gather their stories - but she died young, and many of her papers were destroyed in the 1909 earthquake. It seemed fitting that Jack Zipes, one of the world's experts on fairy tales and folklore, should undertake the task of translating and publishing her life's work: Robber With The Witch's Head is a fitting tribute indeed.

This is the second and final volume of Sicilian folk and fairy tales collected by Laura Gonzenbach, now translated by Jack Zipes. The first volume is titled, "Beautiful Angiola." Here's my review of the first volume which can be applied to this second volume, too. After all, Zipes' introduction is only slightly revised from the first to accommodate the second. Here the inexhaustible Jack Zipes edits and translates a lesser known, but arguably very important, collection of Sicilian folk and fairy tales. Originally collected and recorded by Laura Gonzenbach in mid-19th century Sicily, these tales provide a different perspective on the folklore of the time and ours today. Zipes argues that this collection is perhaps the most important collection from the time period, even more important than the Grimms' collection. The tales are unadulterated, carefully recorded to reflect the voice of the original teller. Since Gonzenbach collected primarily from women tellers and was herself female, the feminine perspective of the tales hearkens back to the French Salons albeit at a different class level. Be warned that these tales have not been softened and at times reflect the violence, cruelty, and unfairness of life with clear language; these stories are not for the nursery. Zipes' comprehensive introduction and endnotes (including Aarne-Thompson classification numbers) enhance the scholarly weight of the text, but the stories can be read strictly for the enjoyment of the armchair folklorist. This collection is especially recommended for readers interested in 19th century folktale collections, feminist folklore and Sicily. Highly recommended.