Audiobook · read by volunteers
Japanese Fairy Tales
Yei Theodora Ozaki (1871–1932)
Read by Scott Robbins, John Rose, Wina Hathaway, Eliza Horne, Jonathan Feldman, Michael Rhys, Alan Davis Drake (1945-2010), Clarke Bell, Gesine, Carol Goode · 23 chapters · 7 h 35
About the book
In Japan, there is a story of a warrior called My Lord Bag of Rice, of a sparrow who loses her tongue for a small mistake, and of a fisher lad who visits a palace beneath the sea. Yei Theodora Ozaki gathered these traditional tales in 1908 for the children of the West, retelling them in clear and graceful English. Goblins, ogres, a boy born from a peach, a bamboo-cutter and a clever badger appear in turn. Behind each story lies a view of courage, kindness and honour that belongs to Japanese tradition. A team of volunteer readers shares the twenty-three parts of this collection, which fills about seven and a half hours of listening. The stories are old, strange and charming, and they suit listeners of every age. Many end with a lesson, and some with a laugh.
Introduction
Yei Theodora Ozaki lived from 1871 to 1932. Born in Tokyo, she was the daughter of a Japanese father and an English mother, and she grew up between the two cultures. She worked as a translator and writer, and she spent much of her career introducing Japanese stories to readers in the English-speaking world. Her Japanese Fairy Tales, first published in 1908, remains one of the best-known collections of its kind.
In the preface, she explains that she wished to share legends and tales that were still unfamiliar to Western readers, and that she wanted them to be enjoyed by children. She collected them from traditional sources, translated them and retold them for a new audience, and her friend Andrew Lang, the collector of the Coloured Fairy Books, encouraged the project. In doing so, she shaped the way many English speakers first met these stories, though her versions are retellings, not literal translations. The tales vary in tone from adventurous to comic and moving, and some end with a lesson.
This LibriVox recording is divided into 23 parts, beginning with the preface, and lasts roughly seven and a half hours. It is read by a team of volunteers. It is a good collection for children and families, and for anyone who wishes to meet some of the best-loved figures of Japanese folklore.
Many of the tales are well known in Japan and have been retold in countless ways. Ozaki's versions are gentle and lightly humorous, with a clear moral sense, and the variety of characters keeps the collection fresh. Many readers make the longer journey an easy one, with new voices at every turn.
Public domain
Yei Theodora Ozaki died in 1932: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text