Bogdan Suceavă

Suceava is a mathematician by profession (teaching in California) and a writer by avocation. He is originally from a small town in rural Romania and, though I do not know that particular place, I have spent many weeks in rural Romania. Perhaps for that reason, this book resonated with me—though I think it so well done that even readers completely unfamiliar with Romania would be entranced. The story takes place in a village in the Carpathian Mountains. Like much of the Balkans, it is a bastion of orality, a place where modernity has only begun to take hold in the last fifty years or so. The grandfather, aware that he doesn’t have much time left, tells his grandchildren stories that blend family history with local legends with 20th century history. One of those children, now grown, re-tells the tales. The stories are fantastic, impossible, and true, and brilliantly recreate the storytelling traditions of the region. Fairy tale characters mix with real historical figures mix with family members and recreate a world that is on the verge of disappearing forever.… (más)