Cimpul de lectura. Ion Creangă. Poveşti

This book brings together Ion Creangă’s tales in their original form. It makes no changes to suit a set of beliefs. Some tales are fables that teach lessons. Others take the form of short novels, or novellas. There are apocryphal tales, too, and fairy tales with magic. The book suits those who read Romanian classics, including children.

This edition treats Creangă as a writer, not just someone who gathered folk tales. In his day, many readers saw his work as folklore. Yet the tales he wrote helped shape later folk tales. Scholars traced all 16 known versions of Povestea lui Harap Alb to his earlier tale. His work thus helped give rise to the Romanian literary fairy tale.

Stancu Ilin studies the history of classic works of literature. He chose the texts and wrote the preface. He also gave sources for further reading. Short notes cover the author’s life and work. Study aids also help readers with the tales. The book forms part of the Campul de lectura series.