James D Sexton

The Dog Who Spoke and More Mayan Folktales: El perro que hablo y mas cuentos mayas James D Sexton

Brief Description: "we learn what happens when a dog'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 Guatemala's oral culture. In addition to stories about ghosts and humans turning into animals. the volume also offers humorous yarns. Hailing from the Lake Atitlan region in the Guatemalan highlands. these tales reflect the dynamics of, and conflicts between, Guatemala'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 Rodriguez-Mejia allow the thirty-three stories to speak for themselves---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 cultural that is fast disappearing and deserves a wider audience."--BOOK JACKET. Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references.; In English and Spanish. Publisher Marketing: In the delightful Mayan folktale "The Dog Who Spoke," we learn what happens when a dog'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 Guatemala's oral culture. In addition to stories about ghosts and humans turning into animals, the volume also offers humorous yarns. Hailing from the Lake Atitlan region in the Guatemalan highlands, these tales reflect the dynamics of, and conflicts between, Guatemala'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 Rodriguez-Mejia allow the thirty-three stories to speak for themselves--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. Review Citations:

Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2011 pg. 59 (EAN 9780806141305, Paperback)

Contributor Bio:  Sexton, James D James D. Sexton is Regents' Professor of anthropology at Northern Arizona University and is the author of many articles and books on cultural change in Guatemala's highland communities.