CREOLE FOLKTALES
edited by Patrick Chamoiseau & translated by Linda Coverdale
Chamoiseau, who is French, makes his U.S. debut with a collection of folktales based on the ones he listened to as a child. In the erudite introduction, which will be a challenge for many readers, Chamoiseau describes the tradition and sedition of storytelling among the slaves of Martinique in the 17th and 18th centuries. The characters who emerge in these life lessons are recognizably kin of Brer Rabbit and his cohorts, who live by their wits and struggle daily for survival. He sets the stage with style, but the stories themselves fall short of the storyteller's fine, evocative voice. The language is startling, poetic, authentic. But the evil characters are caricatures; others are generally so unpleasant that readers will not be moved to root for them. (Folklore. 11+)