Swedish Folktales And Legends Lone Thygesen Blecher 9780816645756

A unique collection of Sweden's most charming folktales

Swedish Folktales and Legends is a diverse and representative collection of stories from Sweden's centuries-old folklore tradition. Ranging from the ribald to the romantic, from the rustic to the mythical, these are lively translations of 150 tales drawn from unique sources including the Swedish National Folklore Archives and numerous private collections, while the humorous and dramatic illustrations are gathered from classic volumes of Swedish folktales. Lone Thygesen Blecher's engaging introduction details the purpose and background of folktales and legends as well as the history of their collection. This distinctive selection presents the storytelling artistry of Sweden's lush folkloric tradition.

Lone Thygesen Blecher and George Blecher are award-winning translators of Swedish and Danish. Their numerous children's book translations include If You Didn't Have Me by Ulf Nilsson and The Battle Horse by Harry Kullman, which won the Mildred Batchelder Award from the American Library Association as the best foreign children's book and best foreign young adult book of the year.

"A wonderful collection. The creatures that appear repeatedly in these particular tales are numerous, varied, and familiar-giants, trolls, household spirits, water spirits, nightmare hags, etc.-and their stories, sorted into such categories as 'True Dummies and Clever Folk,' 'How to Win the Princess,' 'Heroes and Heroines,' and 'Moral Tales,' are funny, unusual, and enlightening."-Booklist

"An adeptly translated collection. Black-and-white illustrations recall a Swedish golden age."-Library Journal

"The translations of the tales themselves are lively and fluent."-Scandinavian Studies