MY MOTHER'S TALES

Book excerpt: The tales in this book were told to the renowned author and academic Aziza Jafarzade by her mother "Grandmother Boyukhanim" when she was a child in Azerbaijan in the first half of the last century. In later life she faithfully wrote them down and preserved them for posterity in the collection "My Mother's Tales" published in Baku in 1982. They are a joy to read. Influenced by fairy tales and folklore they are rich in mysticism, metaphor, allegory and magic. With dragons and serpents, speaking animals, flying horses and other strange creatures, every story has a strong moral element to it. Good usually triumphs over evil, but not always, for - like all good fairy tales - there is a dark side to them. All aspects of human life are addressed with consummate skill and these stories will appeal to both children and adults alike. This universal appeal and timelessness is best summed up by Professor Maharramova: "She used the language of the marvellous to mirror the hopes and fears of our own world".