A selection of 66 folktales collected by Cepenkov, who dedicated his life to the collection and preservation of Macedonian folk literature, translated into English for the first time by Fay Thomev. The first title in the TMacquarie University Publications in Macedonian Literature' series.

19th Century Macedonian Folktales, translated by Fay Thomev, is the first more extensive presentation of Cepenkov's work in English. The 66 stories in this collection reflect the spirit and essence of generations of Macedonians when oral storytelling was a highly prized skill and a gift. The stories are very diverse, entertaining and instructive. They can be wise, pious, didactic, just, helpful, clever, surprising, scary, familiar, funny, hilarious and often irreverent. Marko Cepenkov (1829 -1920) dedicated his whole life to collect and preserve for posterity the enormous wealth of Macedonian folk literature. This literature embodies the deepest layers of the Macedonian collective consciousness, wisdom and philosophy of life of a sturdy area at the crossroads of cultures, civilizations, peoples and languages. Cepenkov collected more than 800 tales, 710 songs, 5,032 proverbs 100 riddles, 389 folk beliefs, 201 dreams and their interpretations, 46 sorcery incantations,67 children's games as well as pledges, curses, blessings, folk traditions, customs, examples of secret languages, descriptions of crafts and musical instruments, personal names and surnames.

Fiction. THE MOON IN THE WELL is a collection of translations of folk tales, myths, legends, and fables from Macedonia, the southernmost republic of the nation of Yugoslavia. These stories of Kings and common people, talking animals and clever fools are wonderful examples of a body of folk literature largely unknown to American readers.