Lee Haring

Epic of Madagascar

Ibonia

In Stars and Keys: Folktales and Creolization in the Southwest Indian Ocean, Lee Haring introduces readers to the rich folklore traditions of the islands of the southwest Indian Ocean. The culture of Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, RÃ©union, and the Comoros is a unique blend of traditions that have been brought from Africa, South Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The folktales from these islands reflect the diversity of this culture and provide a rare opportunity to observe the fluidity of traditions and the process of creolization. Haring presents the tales in a uniquely innovative style: he interrupts the text as if he were reading aloud and directly addresses the reader. His words and those of the storytellers are clearly distinguished, making this folktale collection useful to a wide range of readers and scholars.

Folktales and Creolization in the Indian Ocean

Stars and Keys

Cristina Bacchilega

Donald Haase

Robert Irwin

Noelani Arista

Sadhana Naithani

Geert Jan van Gelder

Heinz Grotzfeld

Joseph Sadan

Francesca Maria Corrao

Margaret A. Mills

Hande A. Birkalan-Gedik

Sabir Badalkham

Suzanne Enderwitz

Hasan El-Shamy

Thomas Geider

Sylvette Larzul

The follow-up to The Arabian Nights Reader, this volume investigates the transnational features of the Arabian Nights.

The Arabian Nights in Transnational Perspective

Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, Reunion, Seychelles

Indian Ocean Folktales

How to Read a Folktale offers the first English translation of Ibonia, a spellbinding tale of old Madagascar. Ibonia is a folktale on epic scale. Much of its plot sounds familiar: a powerful royal hero attempts to rescue his betrothed from an evil adversary and, after a series of tests and duels, he and his lover are joyfully united with a marriage that affirms the royal lineage. These fairytale elements link Ibonia with European folktales, but the tale is still very much a product of Madagascar. It contains African-style praise poetry for the hero; it presents Indonesian-style riddles and poems; and it inflates the form of folktale into epic proportions. Recorded when the Malagasy people were experiencing European contact for the first time, Ibonia proclaims the power of the ancestors against the foreigner. Through Ibonia, Lee Haring expertly helps readers to understand the very nature of folktales. His definitive translation, originally published in 1994, has now been fully revised to emphasize its poetic qualities, while his new introduction and detailed notes give insight into the fascinating imagination and symbols of the Malagasy. Haring’s research connects this exotic narrative with fundamental questions not only of anthropology but also of literary criticism.

The 'Ibonia' Epic from Madagascar

How to Read a Folktale

Lee Haring

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