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For this, my 5th year doing the Challenge, it's the
A to Z of Anansi the spider.
M is for Martha Warren Beckwith
Were it not for Martha I would not have the Anansi stories to retell and the world would be an emptier place had she not gathered the stories together.
Martha was "the first person to hold a chair in Folklore at any college or university in the country." (You can read her bio in the Vassar Encyclopedia HERE.)
In the summer 1919 and again in the winter of 1921 she went to Jamaica and recorded storytellers and their music, then faithfully transcribed the stories, "without polish or adornment, as nearly as possible as they were told to me...." She published her collection in 1924, under the title, Jamaica Anansi Stories.
I have an original first addition copy. It has since been republished and can even be gotten for Kindle!
The stories, written in the original Jamaican dialect, can be difficult to read and understand. Many of the stories are more like fragments than stories with a true beginning, middle and end.
What I have tried to do is not only translate them, but to retell the stories in a way that readers can easily understand.
Here's to Martha Warren Beckwith, the Joel Chandler Harris of the Caribbean. If you don't know who Joel was, he gathered and compiled the Uncle Remus stories.
In the summer 1919 and again in the winter of 1921 she went to Jamaica and recorded storytellers and their music, then faithfully transcribed the stories, "without polish or adornment, as nearly as possible as they were told to me...." She published her collection in 1924, under the title, Jamaica Anansi Stories.
The stories, written in the original Jamaican dialect, can be difficult to read and understand. Many of the stories are more like fragments than stories with a true beginning, middle and end.
What I have tried to do is not only translate them, but to retell the stories in a way that readers can easily understand.
Here's to Martha Warren Beckwith, the Joel Chandler Harris of the Caribbean. If you don't know who Joel was, he gathered and compiled the Uncle Remus stories.
Before all the electronic devices (and books) I suppose oral storytelling was the only way of passing down stories from generation to generatin. Now the stories live on because of your writing talent and ambition.
ReplyDeleteAnd that book was almost lost as well.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how well the stories have survived over the years in Jamaican culture?
Very Interesting!!
ReplyDeleteI think I'm living in the wrong part of the world! How fun to be a writer in a unique, exotic location. Her life sounds so intriguing. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Bish, coming over from Alex's site today! It's great to 'meet' you! I love Anansi - and I had no idea that the stories came over like this. How cool!
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool! I've read a few of those stories, but didn't think about who might have collected them.
ReplyDeleteHow super! I loved your entry, and I love dedicated people!
ReplyDeletexox jean
Building on what another person has researched and written is true connectivity. What you've done is to continue another's work, making it accessible to new readers. Well done, Bish.
ReplyDeleteVery cool. I wasn't aware of where your stories came from, but that's amazing--and way to bring them to light. Wow. How many of us would get any enjoyment out of the original versions? I think it would be painstaking for most.
ReplyDeleteTrue Heroes from A to Z
That's not a call to writing - that's a mission of love in the name of history! Just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteTeresa
Martha was quite an adventurous woman. I have so much respect for the women who defied social protocols of the time and followed their interests. Nice tribute to you over on Alex Cavanaugh's blog.
ReplyDeleteHey Bish,
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful to Martha. She was indeed a catalyst in your Anansi stories.
A positive result, all round. And it was lovely to see you noted on the ninja dude's site :)
Gary
I want to break free.
ReplyDeleteShe sounds like an absolutely incredible woman.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice post, by a really great gal. giving credit where credit is due. I really like that about you.
ReplyDeleteMartha Warren Beckwith rescued generations of stories. I wonder if she ever knew how that would affect the modern age. So glad she did!
ReplyDeleteCheers to Martha! She sounds amazing, and handsome as well!
ReplyDeleteThat first edition book sounds like a treasure! I am not familiar with them but since you mentioned Uncle Remus stories, I wonder if they were politically correct by today's standards and if not, did you "sanitize" them or did you keep as true to the times as possible?
ReplyDeleteArgh...I meant I am not familiar with the Anansi stories but I am somewhat familiar with Uncle Remus stories. Sorry i wasn't clear above.
ReplyDeleteOral narratives were quite popular before the written form and I think this book bears testimony to it.
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting to see the origins of these tales, from the oral storytellers to the person who decided to write them down.
ReplyDeleteHi Bish - so pleased that original copy arrived safely and before a stormy disaster could strike it in Jamaica.
ReplyDeleteI love these stories of people who had a passion ... in this instance Mary Warren Beckwith ... who searched and wrote all these stories down ..
The recognition of language, dialect and sound is all coming together in the 21st century - I know we're losing some ... but the British Library has been recording 'Sounds' from around the world - so far in 9 separate sections ..
So pleased you've saved and published your Anansi stories ... perhaps to record them now?
Cheers Hilary