Érase una vez el Evangelio en los cuentos

by Diego Blanco Albarova, Maialen Echaniz (Illustrator)

¿Qué esconden en su interior los cuentos de la tradición occidental? ¿Por qué durante generaciones se les ha leído y enseñado a los niños? ¿Son meramente ejemplos «morales» o «lecciones de vida» para encauzar el comportamiento de los niños?
«Quizá nunca nos hemos tomado en serio los cuentos de hadas. Tal vez porque no hemos comprendido que son las herramientas que, de forma inmemorial, ha utilizado el ser humano para captar los destellos de Dios en la creación e intentar comprender lo que le rodeaba».
Diego Blanco ha sabido, a través de este libro sencillo, encantador y bellamente ilustrado, hacer ver al lector aquello que, con un poco de atención, podemos descubrir en el interior de los cuentos: que son ecos del Evangelio.
«El mundo de los cuentos está más cerca de ti de lo que crees, porque su significado toca la raíz de tu existencia por medio de una fantasía que es más real que la propia realidad». Adentrémonos, pues, en un mundo de castillos, gigantes, madrastras, hadas, zapatos de cristal y casitas de dulces. La verdad del mundo nos aguarda.

Genres: Catholic

186 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2020

About the author

Diego Blanco Albarova (Zaragoza, 1976) es investigador cultural, guionista y productor de TV y colaborador en la creación de contenidos culturales y de pastoral de la Universidad San Pablo-CEU. Director de la productora audiovisual Número 52, ha sido galardonado con el Gabriel Award 2019 de la asociación de prensa católica de EEUU y Canadá, y con el premio Mirabile Dictu por su documental sobre la figura de Tolkien, basado en Un Camino inesperado, libro publicado por Encuentro en 2016.

Es un apasionado de Tolkien, los cuentos de hadas y los mitos. Ha impartido numerosas charlas y conferencias en España y en Europa sobre El Señor de los Anillos, el significado cristiano de la fantasía, el cambio de paradigma de la cultura pop contemporánea y el impacto en la juventud de las tecnologías de la comunicación. Es formador del profesorado de la asignatura de religión en varias diócesis españolas y coordinador del proyecto de evangelización «Zurekin» de la Diócesis de Vitoria.

A comienzos de 2020 ha publicado en Ediciones Encuentro Érase una vez el Evangelio en los cuentos, cuyo eje central es el retorno al significado cristiano de los cuentos de hadas. En el mes de abril se emitió en A3 series la miniserie Por muchas razones, de la que Diego Blanco fue creador y guionista.

En la actualidad, además de lanzar con Encuentro la primera temporada de la colección juvenil de libros de aventuras El club del Fuego Secreto, Diego Blanco se encuentra preparando un programa de TV dirigido al público infantil para una conocida cadena norteamericana y un nuevo documental.

Reviews

[Fonch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ladies and gentlemen after the very bad taste in my mouth that has left me "Lady Chatterley's Lover" by D.H. Lawrence https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... I had to get rid of the bad taste in my mouth that this book has left me, and I could only do it by writing a positive review. The first thing I should say last year I read 208 books, and it was the third year with the most readings, and the second with the most quality (we will talk about this when I write the summary of the year 2022), and I want to thank John Mauro for helping me find more creative categories. I can only say that that year ended with three winners in the fiction category without a doubt the winner was "Shakespeare's Censor" by the former minister, and former ambassador Federico Trillo-Figueroa https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (much better than the overrated "Hamnet") by Maggie O'Farrell https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...) followed closely by "El Tercio que nunca existió" by José Javier Esparza https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (although this year in particular I did not give an ex aequo award in the fiction category), and non-fiction if there was a tie (at first that was not my intention), since my intention was that the book of "Faith of Our Fathers A History of 'True' England" by Joseph Pearce https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... was the best book of the year (after all it was the answer to a request claimed by me, which was to make a Catholic history of England), however (and it was not my dear Vern https://www.goodreads.com/series/2862... of my friend Karina Fabian https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...) there was an unexpected guest at the party, who surprised me with its quality. I mean "An unexpected path. Unveiling the parable of The Lord of the Rings" by Diego Blanco Albarova https://www.goodreads.com/author/show.... I hope that one day non-Spanish-speaking users will have the opportunity to enjoy it, and share the same positive experiences I felt reading it. Let's say that it was the surprise in a year in which I thought that my admired Don Juan Manuel de Prada was going to sweep away with "An amendment to the totality" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (Don Juan Manuel de Prada will already be talked about because I think he will have his revenge this year), but who enters Pope leaves cardinal, and so it was on this occasion. It could be said that the title of Don Diego Blanco Albarova was growing, and went from being the third to the second, and as "Shakespeare's Censor" was increasingly having more weight in my heart, but what made me opt to tie him with "Faith of Our Fathers A History of 'True' England" by Joseph Pearce was (and this is where Don Juan Manuel de Prada reappears) the fact that this year 2023 the clear favorite to win is "The Right to dream life and work Ana María Martínez Sagi" (which is not yet in Goodreads I hope that some charitable soul can enter it in the database of Goodreads, as did my good friend Professor Manuel Alfonseca with "Contemporary European writers" of Juan Gutiérrez Palacios of which I am very proud, and I recommend reading this review to my followers at Goodreads. Really, despite the written poverty of my criticism it is well worth reading https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). It's a shame that Goodreads has imposed that rule, and doesn't allow people to publish new books in the right Goodreads database that I should own, and not because of seniority, or because they are the most loyal users, but if I said why the surprise would burst. But unfortunately my natural right is being robbed. But with the permission of the users I wish to redirect my prologue of this review. The real reason why I granted the triumph to Diego Blanco Albarova's book was because although I was going to compete, and repeat this year I had the feeling that I could not compete with a work that has been the illusion of my admired Don Juan Manuel de Prada. In fact, it has been his doctoral thesis. If you are interested in this criticism that I plan to write of the work of Don Juan Manuel de Prada it will be written in English (because apart from Esperanto is the goodreads lingua franca), Spanish, Polish, and Catalan, since my beloved Don Juan Manuel is a devoted admirer of Catalan culture, and despite the hatred I feel for independence I do it in his honor. In addition to this reading I would like to finish the ones I left pending last year, and here I anticipated my future readings. I want to highlight "Laurus" by Eugene Vodolazkin https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... (of which my friend Rhonda Ortiz has https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... spoken to me very well), "The Gentleman of Moscow" by Amor Towles (highly praised in my country) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3..., " Hyperversum" by Cecilia Randall (which I delayed so as not to detract from my friend Jorge Sáez Criado and his "Trapped in Eyrinn" (since they were books of a similar theme, hopefully the Italian author will be lucky this year) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... that has surpassed by "1985" by Anthony Burgess https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... (wonderful edition of Minotaur), to the "Healer Zsnachor" by Tadeuz Dolega Mostowicz https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., "The sentimentals" of Robert Hugh Benson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., and the surprise/Cinderella (never better said because this is what this review of the stories is about) last year, "The Siberian Girl" by Xavier de Maistre https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... ), " The Hong Kong Hacker" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... (although lately I distrust what Gamon publishes, although the people who work there are amabilistic), I have to finish reading my friend's novel "Ancient of Genes" by Dan Gallagher https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., the two volumes I am missing from Thomas E. E. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Penury City trilogy" (I can assure you that very soon the review of "Light of Gabriel" will be written, I think my friend Fergus a lot in that). I have to read "The Enemy of the People" by Ibsen (both Professor Manuel Alfonseca, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and my friend Don Andrés Guijarro Aroque have https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... insisted a lot on it, and it is a firm commitment on my part. Don Andrés will be talked about when the review of "The Nature of Alexander the Great" by Mary Renault is written, when we debate whether the Macedonian had a divine mission, or not https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... ), I also want to read "The Furious Orlando" by Ludovico Ariosto https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... (one of the most admired books by my friend Professor Manuel Alfonseca), I wish to conclude "The Brothers Karamazov" by Dostoyevsky https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , "The Deal with the King of the Elves" by Elise Kova https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (I hope it's better than other books I've read), other amusements like Kōtarō Ishaka's "Bullet Train" (which will be my next reading) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... . Last year I wanted to read more fantasy (I was left wanting more) so I want to give a chance to "Paladin: The Fate of the Dragon" by Eneas Calderoni, and Sebastian Lange https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6.... I would like to continue with the two volumes of Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy https://www.goodreads.com/series/4364..., I also have hopes with Robert Harris' Fatherland https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... David Gaider's "The Stolen Throne" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... (the prequel to the video game Dragon Age, which my friend Turbiales discovered to me, and that the followers of Dice Time recommended to me), I also want to sink my teeth into The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga, #1) by Gwynne, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..., I will also reread "The Emerald Tablet" by Manuel Alfonseca https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... and I am in God's hands, if any user wants anything from me to tell me. Last year I had a purpose which was to reconcile with a woman I fell in love with seventeen years ago, but I got the opposite effect. He told me that he was harassing her, and that if he did not leave her alone he would take action (I will leave her alone, but I will never stop loving her. Of course being married I just want to be friends with your family, and nothing more.) I only ask that you pray for her, and her family, that things continue to go well for her, and that she and her family remain very happy. That is all I want. This year, unlike the past, did not set me any purpose, and left everything in God's hands, and without further ado, we are going to talk about the book in question "Once upon a time the Gospel in the stories" by Diego Blanco Albarova.
Ladies and gentlemen today my intention is to comment on two more books, to prepare the reviews that I am going to write in @goodreads. It is time to talk about the third book that has been read this year 2023 written by one of the winners of the extinct year 2022 I refer to Don @diegoblancoalbarova who last year with the permission of @jpearce_official, and his story of our fathers (which is a Catholic history of England) wrote the non-fiction book that I liked the most. This year he has once again confirmed the good feelings he left last year. One of the great virtues of this book is that it does not take anything to read it, it is very brief, and enormously pleasant, and if you do not like it (something that is not my case) you can enjoy the stories it analyzes, which it also analyzes. Although they say that the best thing about the book is not its beautiful illustrations, the truth is that I really liked its illustrations, and the covers, which can compete to be the best this year. The book begins very well with two shocking quotes from two atheist scientists (although my friend Professor Manuel Alfonseca would say that they do not do science, but are dedicated to talking about philosophy, and badly). Both Dawkins https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and the media Stephen Hawking https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... are dedicated to attacking stories, and that these prevent us from knowing reality as such. Hawking goes so far as to say in a mocking tone that heaven is a fairy tale. This might discourage readers reinforces the author's argument in his foreword, based on J.R.R. Tolkien https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... that the stories are true, an echo of the Gospel, and will speak of the Christian character of the same ones that would have filtered the best of paganism. It talks about the attempt of Marxism, Jungianism, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... structuralism, feminism and ideology of gender for deconstructing the stories, and appropriating the original meaning. To demonstrate the Christian sense he cites two writers in the antipodes Bettelheim https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (Jungian), and the Soviet Vladimir Propp https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... . After that brilliant prologue Blanco Albarova will tell ten stories, and analyze them. First of the seven goats (he was unaware of Perrault https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... that he was so hostile to Catholics this could be because he was a Huguenot, or a skeptic of the line of Montaigne https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , or Valdes) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... What is clear to us is that both the Witch and the wolf (in the case of the seven goats, the three little pigs, or Little Red Riding Hood) will always be the devil. How envies our soul (case of Snow White), or is a scorned fairy like Sleeping Beauty, and because of her envy will conspire to destroy us. The stepmother (this is seen in Hansel's tale, and Gretel) is not the devil, but she is the one who incites us to sin. She cannot be the natural mother, because sin is not something natural to man, but something alien to his nature to which, having disobeyed, he allowed himself to enter. The tales more or less revive passages from the Testaments of both the new and the old. There is nothing left to chance for example that one of the goats hiding in a clock reveals the power of time. The materials of the houses of the Three Little Pigs show us the righteous (the brick will say that St. Paul is the inspirer of that tale and it could be Jesus Christ Himself when He speaks of sensible man building his house on solid ground), wood would be the Pharisee (the lukewarm), and the chaff (the sinner). In Sleeping Beauty the story of Elysium is very present, and the sunamite, in others the widow of Zarephath. In Cinderella the story of Patriarch Joseph, while the stepsisters are his brothers who hate him, also those who hate Christianity. In Snow White this is clear when it is a log that causes Snow White to expel the apple. Hansel, and Gretel are the prodigal son. A beautiful analogy of stories has been that of Jack, and the Magic Beans (story that was one of the favorites of G.K. Chesterton https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ) which is a slap in the face to greed, and to live obsessed with money, and the future "Who at the cost of worries can add an elbow of height." In Snow White the dwarves apart from being a perfect fusion between paganism, and Christianity are also the law of which St. Paul spoke, while the Prince is Jesus Christ himself. The princess will always be the soul that will be saved by him. The voice (prayer), the beauty of baptism, which saves us from being killed by sin. The analysis of the stories that I liked the most have been "Cinderella" ignored so many precedents Herodotus, Egypt, Estrabon, the Chinese, Vietnamese version etc ...), "Beauty, and the beast" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... where the Beast is the sinner who is ultimately redeemed. Above all, Rapunzel which is one of the author's favorite stories in fact the Rapunzel was an abortive plant (here it does not kill, but it leads you to be enslaved by sin, and to be cloistered in a tower, where you live a Matrix, which makes you unaware of reality). I had the idea that in Rapunzel there was a dragon, and that appears in Albarova's interpretation, and he tells us the beautiful story of Santa Barbara collected in the "Golden Legend" of Jacobus de Voragine https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... . Apart from mentioning these stories Albarova mentions La Gesta Romanorum, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... the tales of the Thebaid (it reminds me of Hoffmann's Serapion brothers https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ) tells how Saint Barbara was confined in a tower by her father Dioskoro and wondered how the Waltarian`s Sinuhe https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... about the nature of religions came to contact Origen who thanks to Valentine was able to bring him the Good News, overcoming a lot of obstacles. Albarova will always keep the best as shown in the last tale, and will feel a great disappointment when the Witch or the wolf does not die violently. Think that actions have consequences, for example, Little Red Riding Hood was to avoid libertines, and bad company. Finally, we are facing a great book. This year it will be very difficult to repeat the feat of last year, since @juan_manuel_de_prada part with advantage with his thesis-biography of Ana María Martínez Sagi https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... right to dream. But I am convinced that it will not be the last book I read to Diego Blanco Albarova, because despite the little space I have in my room I will take a look at his books of the secret fire, and I continue to invite him to meet my friends in @goodreads and not to deceive him like the wolf, neither the witch of Hansel and Gretel, nor Little Red Riding Hood. Otherwise this is a book that should be in any library, and that is invaluable. My grade is (5/5) which makes it a candidate to be among the best Books of the year.

[Pablo Martí · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bastante chulo, interesante sobre todo el de Hansel y Gretel y Rapuncel, son los que más me gustaron sin duda. Toda la simbología es coherente y las analogías son fascinantes, sobre todo las que no son tan evidentes.

Me gustaría que sacaran otro tomo con otros cuentos célebres, me supo a poco solo con los diez incluidos para esta vez.

Anyway, un recurso útil para formarse y para llevar el evangelio a los niños y no tan niños...

[Jorge Ulises · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro me ha abierto muchas claves para entender el simbolismo de los cuentos clásicos occidentales.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tierno y profundo, este libro desgrana la simbología de diez clásicos de los cuentos, en los que la verdadera protagonista no es un cerdito, un cabritillo, una princesa o un niño, sino el alma humana, 'la hija del Rey'. Terminas el libro sabiendo que mereces ser amado, cuidado, respetado y perdonado todos los días de tu vida, como 'la más hermosa de las criaturas'.

[Teresa Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta la idea de que los cuentos transmiten unos valores muy cristianos y están hechos para liberarnos del miedo. Nada que ver con el tópico estúpido de los roles de género y chorradas similares.

[Jorge Valero Berzosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

La aproximación del autor es interesante. En algunos de los cuentos hila fino, en otros veo la interpretación un poco forzada (no todo es psicoanálisis, ok, pero tampoco veo en todo símiles evangélicos).
Los cuentos son vasos transmisores del inconsciente colectivo, no hay duda, y encierran los surcos más hondos de la moral humana. De ahí que pueda extraer tantas conexiones con el Evangelio.
Vale la pena leer los cuentos, siempre en su versión original y no edulcorada por Disney y nuestros tiempos “blandos”. La lectura es sencilla, fresca, veraniega.
Y no lo olvidemos: “con el lobo no se juega”.

[Pnyxis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Con el lobo no se juega". Un libro muy interesante, sin duda, en el que el autor desgrana la simbología de diez cuentos de hadas: Hansel y Gretel, Blancanieves, Caperucita Roja, La Bella Durmiente, Los tres cerditos, Rapunzel, Jack y las habichuelas mágicas, El lobo y los siete cabritillos, Cenicienta y La Bella y la Bestia.

Un libro necesario para entender la raíz de los cuentos de hadas y superar de una vez por todas la visión Disney que todos tenemos de muchos de ellos.

Un retorno a la infancia y, al mismo tiempo, una mirada adulta y sabia.

[Adela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soy una enamorada del Evangelio y de las tradiciones populares en forma de mitos, cantos, leyendas... y este libro supo abordar y ligar ambas cosas de una forma preciosa. Me quedo en especial con la interpretación que le da el autor a Los Tres Cerditos, La Bella Durmiente y a Rapunzel.

Sin duda alguna volveré a recurrir a este libro.

[M. V. Otegui Aguado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pequeño librito que es esencial para no perder los cuentos tradicionales y su mensaje.

[Mercedes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy fácil de leer, muy catequético y sorprendente.

[S B S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precioso, muy bonito. Cada cuento tiene su simbolismo y llega al corazón. Remueve una parte de tu alma y de tu fe a unos niveles increíbles. Me ha encantado. Ya conocía algunos que había comentado en sus ponencias que veo por Youtube. Recomiendo muchísimo su lectura y reflexión.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

No esperaba mucho del libro, pero quizás por eso he podido sorprenderme con él. Con un estilo ameno, entrelaza cuento y enseñanza, sin resultar pesado o repetitivo. Como a un niño, a través de los cuentos se nos abren nuevas formas de ver la realidad.

[Jesus Fidel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book