Marguerita Rudolph

Marguerita Rudolph and Imero Gobbato - the author/illustrator team who also collaborated on The Brave Soldier and a Dozen Devils: A Latvian Tale - here present a folktale from the Lithuanian tradition, one which follows the story of two very different brothers, one wealthy and one poor. When the two brothers head to market one day, they meet with the usual difference in fortune - the wealthy one fills his sack with coins, while the poor one finds his mare and wagon have been stolen - but the return trip leads to a surprising change in circumstances, after the poor brother meets his misfortune, and manages to outwit it. Will both brothers now prosper, or will the jealousy of one lead to yet another change in fortune...?

Folk and fairy-tale readers will know the answer to that, of course, as the mean-spirited and greedy always get their just deserts in such tales. In many ways, I Am Your Misfortune follows the standard plot-line for this tale-type - the poor and humble sibling is elevated, while the wealthy and unkind one is undermined (usually by his own malice) - but I was interested to see the way in which misfortune is made into an actual creature here. The white shaggy creature in Gobbato's illustrations reminds me of something, but I can't think what... In any case, this is an enjoyable tale, from a folk tradition that doesn't always get the attention it deserves. Recommended to young folk and fairy-tale lovers, particularly those with an interest in the Baltic.… (más)

A poor young boy leaves behind his loving parents in order to earn something extra for the family, in this Lithuanian folktale, agreeing to work as the shepherd for a prosperous farmer. But when his summer and fall of labor are done, and he is paid - a bag of beans, a bundle of flax, and three pennies - he finds that the three beggar-men he meets on the road home are in even greater need than he, and he gives everything he has away. The last of the beggars gives him a sack, a stick and a fiddle - gifts that his parents initially scorn, but whose magical qualities change all their lives for the better...

The Magic Sack is an example of a fairly common tale-type - one in which the hero or heroine is generous with their scanty resources, and is rewarded with magical items that change their fortune for the better - but it is the first example I have seen from the Lithuanian tradition. Of course, I haven't read much Lithuanian folklore - one of the reasons I was so excited to happen upon this book, as well as Marguerita Rudolph's I Am Your Misfortune: A Lithuanian Folk Tale - so I can't say whether it is common, in the folklore of that country. Still, this is an engaging story, one which is paired with appealing engraving-style illustrations by Ralph Pinto, and would make a good selection for young folklore enthusiasts!… (más)