Speak, bird, speak again : Palestinian Arab folktales

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Bibliographic Information

Speak, bird, speak again : Palestinian Arab folktales

[edited and translated by] Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana

University of California Press, c1989

  • : pbk

Available at  / 12 libraries

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Note

Bibliography: p. 405-412

Includes index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Were it simply a collection of fascinating, previously unpublished folktales, Speak, Bird, Speak Again: Palestinian Arab Folktales would merit praise and attention because of its cultural rather than political approach to Palestinian studies. But it is much more than this. By combining their respective expertise in English literature and anthropology, Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana bring to these tales an integral method of study that unites a sensitivity to language with a deep appreciation for culture. As native Palestinians, the authors are well-suited to their task. Over the course of several years they collected tales in the regions of the Galilee, Gaza, and the West Bank, determining which were the most widely known and appreciated and selecting the ones that best represented the Palestinian Arab folk narrative tradition. Great care has been taken with the translations to maintain the original flavor, humor, and cultural nuances of tales that are at once earthy and whimsical. The authors have also provided footnotes, an international typology, a comprehensive motif index, and a thorough analytic guide to parallel tales in the larger Arab tradition in folk narrative. Speak, Bird, Speak Again is an essential guide to Palestinian culture and a must for those who want to deepen their understanding of a troubled, enduring people.

Table of Contents

Foreword Acknowledgments Note on Transliteration Key to References Introduction THE TALES Notes on Presentation and Translation Group I * Individuals Children and Parents I. Tunjur, Tunjur 2. The Woman Who Married Her Son 3* Precious One and Worn-out One 4* Swes, Swes! 5* The Golden Pail Afterword Siblings 6. Half-a-Halfling 7* The Orphans' Cow 8. Sumac! You Son of a Whore, Sumac! 9* The Green Bird IO. Little Nightingale the Crier Afterword Sexual Awakening and Courtship II. The Little Bird 12. Jummez Bin Yaziir, Chief of the Birds 13. Jbene 14. Sackcloth 15. Sahin Afterword The Quest for the Spouse 16. The Brave Lad 17. Gazelle 18. Lola be Afterword Group II * Family Brides and Bridegrooms 19. The Old Woman Ghouleh 20. Lady Tatar 21. Soqak Boqak! 22. Clever I:Iasan 23. The Cricket Afterword Husbands and Wives 24. The Seven Leavenings 25. The Golden Rod in the Valley of Vermilion 26. Minjal 27. Im Ese Afterword Family Life 28. Chick Eggs 29. The Ghouleh of Trans-Jordan 30. Bear-Cub of the Kitchen 31. The Woman Whose Hands Were Cut Off 32. N'ayyis (Little Sleepy One) Afterword Group III * Society 33. Im 'Awwad and the Ghouleh 34* The Merchant's Daughter 35* Pomegranate Seeds 36. The Woodcutter 37* The Fisherman Afterword Group IV * Environment 38. The Little She-Goat 39* The Old Woman and Her Cat 40. Dunglet 4I. The Louse Afterword Group V * Universe 42. The Woman Who Fell into the Well 43* The Rich Man and the Poor Man 44* Ma'riif the Shoemaker 45* Im 'Ali and Abu 'Ali Afterword Folkloristic Analysis Appendix A: Transliteration of Tale 10 Appendix B: Index of Folk Motifs Appendix C: List of Tales by Type Selected Bibliography Footnote Index

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