Tales from the Heart of the Balkans

Marshall (Russian, Johnson C. Smith U. in Charlotte, N. Carolina) retells 33 folktales from the major population groups of the former Yugoslavia. The stories are organized into four main sections—myths and legends of the region, animal tales, fairy tales, and tales of everyday life—and treat many aspects of the Balkans, including paganism, vampires, roles of women, values, and facets and themes of everyday life. The stories are supplemented by an historical overview of the region, background information on the folklore, and maps and photos of the land and the people. This is the first English-language publication of a collection of folktales from this region in 30 years, and it is accessible to a general audience.

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