Songs for the Gusle Now Available for Pre-Publication Sales

Prosper Mérimée' classic volume of "fakelore" is now available for the first time in its entirety, in English-language translation.

Purported to be a collection of folktales, ballad lyrics, and travel narratives compiled and translated into French by an anonymous traveler returning from the Balkans. Before long, though, it was revealed that both the stories and their “translator” were the fictional creations of a young civil servant, Prosper Mérimée, who would later become one of the most accomplished French writers of his generation. In these dramatic tales of love, war, and encounters with the supernatural, Mérimée has given us both a treasure trove of “fakelore” and a satirical portrait of a self-appointed expert blissfully unaware of how little he understands the cultures he claims to represent.

Songs for the Gusle will be published on March 21, 2023 and is now available for pre-publication sales ordering.