Folktales of Joha, Jewish Trickster

by Koen-Sarano, Matilda; Herman, David; Masch, Ezra

• ISBN13: 9780827607224
• ISBN10: 0827607229
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-02-01
• Publisher: Jewish Pubn Society

Summary

Joha, according to Ladino tradition, is a popular folklore character, one who is conniving yet also beguiling. He plays many roles: He makes us laugh; liberates us from taboos; makes it possible to tell the whole, sometimes painful, truth in a humorous way; and helps us triumph over our enemies through laughter. The nearly 300 stories in this lovely volume are from Sephardic oral literature and ethnic culture. They were told to Matilda Koen-Sarano in their original language, Judeo-Spanish (Ladino), and documented over 21 years. From 17 countries, including the United States, they come together in this first-ever collection of Joha stories to appear in English. These stories have entertained generations of Sephardic children and adults and will delight readers of any age.

Table of Contents

Preface	1	(4)
Introduction	5	(12)
Tamar Alexander
The Myth of Laughter	17	(4)
Joha and his family	21	(14)
``Joha laughed, the whole family laughed.''
Joha at school	35	(10)
``Learning makes you sweat blood.''
Joha and work	45	(24)
``Joha wanted to die in order to get enough sleep.''
Joha and the animals	69	(16)
``Don't die, donkey, until the new grass grows.''
Joha and the bride	85	(16)
``Don't look at the bride or the cloth by candlelight.''
Joha and his wife	101	(28)
``Joha remembered to kiss his wife only the day his mother died.''
Joha, son, and grandson	129	(8)
``Like father, like son! But what a grandson!''
Joha and the king	137	(20)
``I kill the king beneath my cloak.''
Joha and his neighborhood	157	(16)
``People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.''
Joha talks about himself	173	(18)
``Joha went to the baths and didn't stop talking about it for years!''
John and the God	191	(16)
``God created him, but He forgot to visit him.''
Joha and the law	207	(26)
``Don't blame the thief, blame the one who leaves the door open.''
Joha the glutton	233	(24)
``Once you start to eat, you won't stop.''
Joha in the hospital	257	(10)
``One is born with luck and good fortune, and another with a double hernia.''
Joha and death	267	(12)
``Joha died, but his fame endured.''
Narrators' Circle: ``The Ladies of Ladino''	279	(3)
Informants	282