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The Complete and Original Norwegian Folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe cover art

The Complete and Original Norwegian Folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe

By: Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe, Tiina Nunnally - translator, Neil Gaiman - foreword
Narrated by: Ann Richardson
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Summary

Magic and myth inhabit these chapters in figures both familiar and strange. Giant trolls and talking animals are everywhere. The winds take human form. A one-eyed old woman might seem reminiscent of the Norse god Odin. We meet sly aunts, resourceful princesses, and devious robbers. 

These stories, set in Norway's majestic landscape of towering mountains and dense forests, are filled with humor, mischief, and sometimes surprisingly cruel twists of fate. All are rendered in the deceptively simple narrative style perfected by Asbjørnsen and Moe - now translated into an English that is as finely tuned to the modern ear as it is true to the original Norwegian.

Included here - for the very first time in English - are Asbjørnsen and Moe's forewords and introductions to the early Norwegian editions of the tales. Asbjørnsen gives us an intriguing glimpse into the actual collection process and describes how the stories were initially received, both in Norway and abroad. 

Equally fascinating are Moe's views on how central characters might be interpreted and his notes on the regions where each story was originally collected. Nunnally's informative translator's note places the tales in a biographical, historical, and literary context for the 21st century.

©2019 Tiina Nunnally (English translation); Foreword copyright 2019 by Neil Gaiman (P)2020 Tantor

What listeners say about The Complete and Original Norwegian Folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good, becoming VERY repetitive

I love folklore stories, and thought this would be a good listen, especially as it's included in the Plus catalogue. It starts of promisingly but, after a while, a lot of the stories become exceedingly repetitive. You find yourself listening to a very slightly altered version of one (or five) you've already heard. I got a significant way through, but had to stop.

The entire book is read by one American lady. I have nothing against female or American narrators, but was it really necessary to give each character a ham-fisted interpretation of a Norwegian accent?

Tis audio book could have been much better if it was half the length, by filtering out the repeats with different names, and by either ditching the bad accents, or finding a Scandinavian narrator.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

good enough to be interesting but some stortlines slightly changed and repeated

wouldnt recommend for young children as may scare than entertain. themes repeated a few times with only gender of main character changed. good enough to be interesting and reasonably entertaining although some seem incomplete and end abruptly.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

The narrator

The horrible American accent trying anything else. Spent 20 mins listening and could take no more. Sorry fantastic story but such childish telling it made me sivv xx k

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great translation, but misjudged and monotonous narration.

Great translation, but miscast narrator with a “smily” and monotonous performance. A great shame, this excellent translation deserves a much better reading.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Almost put off by sample

At first listen, I was nearly put off by the narrator’s voice/accent but once you get used to it, it’s actually great. I liked the accent she used for the characters’ direct speech.

The stories are great - plenty that were new to me as well as many old favourites. Would recommend for anyone who likes myths, legends, and folk/fairy tales.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Loved the stories

Big fan of fairy tales so it was a pleasure to listen to some from a different culture. Ann Richardson gives an excellent performance however it becomes trickier to listen to when she switches to accents for character speaking. It didn't gel with me but I'm sure there will be listeners who'll appreciate the Norwegian accents.

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