Synopses & Reviews
In the delightful Mayan folktale
The Dog Who Spoke, we learn what happens when a dogandrsquo;s master magically transforms into a dog-man who reasons like a man but acts like a dog. This and the other Mayan folktales in this bilingual collection brim with the enchanting creativity of rural Guatemalaandrsquo;s oral culture. In addition to stories about ghosts and humans turning into animals, the volume also offers humorous yarns. Hailing from the Lake Atitlandaacute;n region in the Guatemalan highlands, these tales reflect the dynamics of, and conflicts between, Guatemalaandrsquo;s Indian, Ladino, and white cultures. The animals, humans, and supernatural forces that figure in these stories represent Mayan cultural values, social mores, and history.
James D. Sexton and Fredy Rodrandiacute;guez-Mejandiacute;a allow the thirty-three stories to speak for themselvesandmdash;first in the original Spanish and then in English translations that maintain the meaning and rural inflection of the originals. Available in print for the first time, with a glossary of Indian and Spanish terms, these Guatemalan folktales represent generations of transmitted oral culture that is fast disappearing and deserves a wider audience.
About the Author
James D. Sexton, Regentsand#39; Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, is author of Mayan Folktales: Folklore from Lake Atitlandaacute;n, Guatemala and translator and editor of Joseandntilde;o: Another Mayan Voice Speaks from Guatemala.
Fredy Rodr¡guez-Mej¡a (part Ch?orti? Maya), from Cop