COLLECTION NAME:
Rylands Collection
Record
Image Number:
JRL1310088
Reference Number:
R148858
Link to Catalogue:
Image Title:
Why does the lobster walk backwards?
Parent Work Title:
Rumanian bird and beast stories: rendered into English
Creator:
Otescu, Ion Nonna, 1888-1940
Creator Role:
Author
Creator:
Gaster, Moses, 1856-1939
Creator Role:
Translator
Date Created:
1931-07-05
Publication Details:
London: Published for the Folk-Lore Society by Sidgwick & Jackson, Ltd
Page/Sheet:
Inserted before page 147
Image Sequence Number:
149
Description:
In 1915 Gaster published his work Romanian Bird and Beast Stories (381pp), consisting of a lengthy study in which he presents his views on folklore, followed by his translations of 119 numbered Romanian stories about animals, and three appendices (animal charms, stories from Ahikar, and animal stories from the Hebrew Alphabet of Ben Sira). Gaster found the stories in the published works of several Romanian folklorists, most notably (around two thirds of the stories) from two publications by Simion Florea Marian (1883 and 1903). R148858 is Gaster's own interleaved copy. It shows that he continued to gather and translate animal stories until shortly before his death. The volume contains handwritten notes (mostly references to what Gaster perceived as 'parallels' in various publications), a copy of a letter from Queen Elisabeth of Romania, news paper cuttings with reviews of the book, and inserted leaves with handwritten and typed stories. Below his translation of a story, Gaster usually mentions where he found it (not all references are correct) and when he translated it. The page was typed in black ink and is loosely inserted before page 147. The story, by Romanian Ion Nonna Otescu is a folk tale explaining why it is allowed to eat lobster at Lent, also why the lobster walks backwards. The lobster stole the longest nail from the torturers who were nailing Jesus to the cross - he surreptitiously walked backwards away with it. God also rewarded the lobster by making him a constellation in the night sky (Cancer). At the end is typed: 'Otescu, page 25'. The date of the translation is written at the bottom: '7-5-1931'.
Language Code:
eng
Language:
English
Subject:
Folk-lore, Romanian
Category of Material:
Printed
Technique Used:
Typewriting
Medium:
Ink
Support:
Paper
Current Repository:
The University of Manchester Library, U.K.
Provenance:
Gaster, Moses, 1856-1939, former owner
Rights Holder - Image:
The University of Manchester Library
Rights holder - Work:
The University of Manchester Library
References:
Haralambakis, M. 'A Survey of the Gaster Collection in the John Rylands Library', Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 89:2 (2013): 10730. Florea, V. Dr. M. Gaster: Reconstituiri biobibliografice: Omul şi Opera (Cluj-Napoca: Editura Fundatiei pentru Studii Europene, 2008), 12754.
Date Captured (yyyy-mm-dd):
2013-02-13
Image Creation Technique:
Digital capture by The University of Manchester Library
Date Image Added (yyyy-mm):
2013-05
Metadata Language:
eng-GB
Collection Code:
Rylands
Why does the lobster walk backwards?
