Karel Jaromír Erben Books

Tato kniha byla vydána českým nakladatelstvím Twisted Spoon Press, které sídlí v Praze a vydává díla českých a slovanských autorů v anglickém jazyce. Oficiální anotace nakladatelství: Erben compiled and wrote A Bouquet based on his studies of Slavic folklore. First published in 1853, it is dotted with murder and mayhem : graves opening and the dead walking the earth, the animate becoming the inanimate and vice versa, ogres and monsters of lake and wood, human transformations reminiscent of Ovid's Metamorphoses. Written as ballads, Marcela Sulak's new translation perfectly captures their cadence and rhythm in an English that is fresh and energetic. Through the years A Bouquet has come to be regarded as a masterpiece and wellspring of inspiration to artists of all stripes, including Antonín Dvořák, who composed a series of symphonic poems to some of these tales. Of the many illustrators who have contributed to the various editions that have appeared over the past century and a half, Alén Diviš's artwork is generally considered the most powerful. This edition also includes Erben's own notes explaining the origins of many of these tales. Translated from Czech and introduced by Marcela Malek Sulak. Artwork by Alén Diviš.

The Czech people, like every nation on earth, have their own wealth of fairytales, passed down from generation to generation since time immemorial. Despite the familiarity of the basic themes, Czech fairytales retain their distinctive features, attracting young and old alike. Stories such as "The Princess with the Golden Star on her Forehead" or "Fire Bird and Red Fox" by Božena Němcová and Karel Jaromír Erben offer an insight into the lives of the ordinary people in Bohemia and Moravia, as well as their wishes and dreams, which is not only romantic, but also thrilling. Thus that most magical phrase, which reminds adults of their childhood and brings a twinkle to children's eyes, still casts a spell like no other: "Once upon a time..."

Traditional Czech folk tales collected and written by Bozena Nemcova and Karel Jaromir Erben. Illustrated by Josef Lada.