Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781617035968)

Baba Yaga is an ambiguous and fascinating figure. She appears in traditional Russian folktales as a monstrous and hungry cannibal, or as a canny inquisitor of the adolescent hero or heroine of the tale. In new translations and with an introduction by Sibelan Forrester, Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales is a selection of tales that draws from the famous collection of Aleksandr Afanas'ev, but also includes some tales from the lesser-known nineteenth-century collection of Ivan Khudiakov. This new collection includes beloved classics such as "Vasilisa the Beautiful" and "The Frog Princess," as well as a version of the tale that is the basis for the ballet "The Firebird."

The preface and introduction place these tales in their traditional context with reference to Baba Yaga's continuing presence in today's culture--the witch appears iconically on tennis shoes, tee shirts, even tattoos. The stories are enriched with many wonderful illustrations of Baba Yaga, some old (traditional "lubok" woodcuts), some classical (the marvelous images from Victor Vasnetsov or Ivan Bilibin), and some quite recent or solicited specifically for this collection

Author: Sibelan Forrester
ISBN-10: 1617035963
ISBN-13: 9781617035968
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Language: English
Published: 08/13/2013
Pages: 256
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.90lbs
Size: 11.20h x 8.80w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 03/01/2014