A Purse Full of Tales: Folk Tales from Korea

This book is a collection of folk tales from both North and South Korea. They have been selected by the authors, with contemporary English speakers in mind, from thousands of such tales. The authors have retold and translated the tales so that they read well and also retain a quintessentially Korean aesthetic quality.

In this book readers will find themselves in an exotic world of ancient Oriental charms and wonders. They will encounter traditional Korean dragons, heavenly maidens, dokkaebis (goblins), bluebirds and many eccentric characters such as naughty children, greedy men and strange old people. Many of the tales involve Shamanistic, Buddhist and Taoist cosmology, transporting readers into a surrealistic fantasy world.

As in folk tales from other cultures, a considerable number of protagonists in this book face distressing situations and eventually overcome them. These sequences are usually depicted through humour, jest and wit, which will have readers smile in recognition.

Korean folk tales have not been widely translated into English. This book will provide an opportunity for readers to develop a good insight into the unique properties of Korean folk tales.