We who form the staff of Cabinet des Fées would like to take this opportunity to show our appreciation and recognition of sff writers and fans of Middle Eastern descent. We begin by presenting three authors whose books most certainly fit within our agenda of reviewing work that draws from the traditions of fairy tales and folklore: Joaana Kadi, Ann-Marie MacDonald, and Emile Habiby. A brief biography of each of these authors follows this introduction, and we hope that once you’ve read our reviews, you’ll search out these titles and others so that you can decide for yourself if these writings have a place in your heart, as they most certainly do in ours.
In the spirit of a college syllabus, I am offering a reading list of what I consider to be basic materials pertaining to the modern world’s creative struggle with its folkloric heritage. An acquaintance with these works will not only provide a real grounding in the topic, but a quick and sometimes dirty guide to the twentieth century.
Looking for the translations of some of the more obscure texts presented me with a challenge. I have included some personal translations included on blogs, as well as those found on the pages of commercial websites. One might say that to a certain extent, tourism commodifies these stories, but perhaps the connection between commerce and folklore is more entrenched than we think it is. The following is a list of fairytales, folklore and mythology found in some South East Asian countries, along with annotations. I would definitely recommend following up on this.