Illustrators from around the world — from Syria, El Salvador, Russia, Ukraine, and beyond — are joining, this week, in #Folktaleweek2019, a seven-day challenge to illustrate seven different folktale prompts.
Of all literature, folktales have perhaps traveled the most, moving with trade and migration from country to country, language to language. And yet there are still wonderful differences in folktales from different languages and cultures.
Their portability also means folktales can be appropriated and Disneyfied or domesticated beyond recognition. Yet the ones in translation often retain their charm: from Italo Calvino’s Italian Folktales, translated by Sylvia Mulcahy to Arab Folktales, translated by Inea Bushnaq, to Alexander Afanasyev’s collected Russian Fairy Tales, translated by Norbert Guterman.
It’s been a delight to look through illustrations inspired by different literary traditions; folktale lovers will find much to enjoy by searching #Folktaleweek2019.
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