Tales of the Hodja
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Authors
Downing, Charles
Issue Date
1964
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Type
Book, Whole
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Abstract
Many of these funny stories will remind readers of the wacky humor of Till Eulenspiegel. There are word-plays, especially from taking metaphorical expressions literally. The first story comes closer than most to a fable. The Hodja borrowed a cauldron from a friend and returned it with a small metal coffee-can inside. Asked about it, he replied that the cauldron had given birth. The neighbor accepted both. Later the Hodja borrowed the cauldron again. He never gave it back. When his neighbor inquired about it, he claimed that it had died. "How can a cauldron die?" "You believed it could give birth. Why will you not believe it can die?" What had caught my eye as I first encountered the book is a story right at home here: MSA (21). The colored illustrations, like the two small ones for MSA, are engaging. A good example of the kind of story presented here comes on 28. The Hodja as a boy encountered a boy who claimed no one could trick him. "Stay here for a while, and I'll find a way to trick you," said the Hodja. He never returned! The Hodja's visual trademark here is his hugely oversized turban or "kavuk."
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Publisher
Oxford University Press
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Identifier
10696 (Access ID)