"We are pleased to present the first English-language translation of La Guzla, ou Choix de poâesies illyriques recueillies dans la Dalmatie, la Bosnie, la Croatie et l'Herzâegowine. This early work of French Romantic writer Prosper Mâerimâee presents a collection of folk literature from the former Illyrian Provinces. Or does it? It contains short pieces drawing from various genres-ersatz scholarly essays, ballad lyrics presented in the form of prose poems, folk tales, a fragment of a stage play-all generously peppered with Mâerimâee's footnotes explaining the historical and sociological context of these "discoveries." First published in 1827, La Guzla purported to be a collection of folktales, ballad lyrics, and travel narratives compiled and translated into French by an anonymous traveler returning from the Balkans. Before long, though, it was revealed that the stories and their "translator" were the fictional creations of Prosper Mâerimâee, a young civil servant who would become one of the most accomplished French writers of his generation. In these dramatic tales of love, war, and encounters with the supernatural, Mâerimâee has given us both a treasure trove of "fakelore" and a satirical portrait of a self-appointed expert blissfully unaware of how little he understands the cultures he claims to represent"-- Provided by publisher.
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