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Critical Caribbean Studies
Folk Stories from the Hills of Puerto Rico / Cuentos folklóricos de las montañas de Puerto Rico
This exciting new anthology gathers together Puerto Rican folktales that were passed down orally for generations before finally being transcribed beginning in 1914 by the team of famous anthropologist Franz Boas. These charming tales give readers a window into the imaginations and aspirations of Puerto Rico’s peasants, the Jíbaro.
Some stories provide a distinctive Caribbean twist on classic tales including “Snow White” and “Cinderella.” Others fictionalize the lives of local historical figures, such as infamous pirate Roberto Cofresí, rendered here as a Robin Hood figure who subverts the colonial social order. The collection also introduces such beloved local characters as Cucarachita Martina, the kind cockroach who falls in love with Ratoncito Pérez, her devoted mouse husband who brings her delicious food.
Including a fresh English translation of each folktale as well as the original Spanish version, the collection also contains an introduction from literary historian Rafael Ocasio that highlights the historical importance of these tales and the Jíbaro cultural values they impart. These vibrant, funny, and poignant stories will give readers unique insights into Puerto Rico’s rich cultural heritage.
Esta nueva y emocionante antología reúne cuentos populares puertorriqueños que fueron transmitidos oralmente durante generaciones antes de ser finalmente transcritos comenzando en 1914 por el equipo del famoso antropólogo Franz Boas. Estos encantadores cuentos ofrecen a los lectores un vistazo a la imaginación y las aspiraciones de los jíbaros, los campesinos de Puerto Rico.
Algunas historias brindan un distintivo toque caribeño a cuentos clásicos como "Blanca Nieves" y "Cenicienta". Otros ficcionalizan la vida de personajes históricos locales, como el famoso pirata Roberto Cofresí, representado como una figura al estilo de Robin Hood, quien subvierte el orden social colonial. La colección también presenta personajes locales tan queridos como Cucarachita Martina, la amable cucaracha que se enamora de Ratoncito Pérez, su devoto esposo ratón que le trae deliciosa comida.
Incluyendo una nueva traducción al inglés de estos cuentos populares, así como las versiones originales en español, la colección también contiene una introducción del historiador literario Rafael Ocasio, quien destaca la importancia histórica de estos cuentos y los valores culturales del jíbaro que éstos imparten en los relatos. Estas historias vibrantes, divertidas y conmovedoras brindarán a los lectores una visión única de la rica herencia cultural de Puerto Rico.
Some stories provide a distinctive Caribbean twist on classic tales including “Snow White” and “Cinderella.” Others fictionalize the lives of local historical figures, such as infamous pirate Roberto Cofresí, rendered here as a Robin Hood figure who subverts the colonial social order. The collection also introduces such beloved local characters as Cucarachita Martina, the kind cockroach who falls in love with Ratoncito Pérez, her devoted mouse husband who brings her delicious food.
Including a fresh English translation of each folktale as well as the original Spanish version, the collection also contains an introduction from literary historian Rafael Ocasio that highlights the historical importance of these tales and the Jíbaro cultural values they impart. These vibrant, funny, and poignant stories will give readers unique insights into Puerto Rico’s rich cultural heritage.
Esta nueva y emocionante antología reúne cuentos populares puertorriqueños que fueron transmitidos oralmente durante generaciones antes de ser finalmente transcritos comenzando en 1914 por el equipo del famoso antropólogo Franz Boas. Estos encantadores cuentos ofrecen a los lectores un vistazo a la imaginación y las aspiraciones de los jíbaros, los campesinos de Puerto Rico.
Algunas historias brindan un distintivo toque caribeño a cuentos clásicos como "Blanca Nieves" y "Cenicienta". Otros ficcionalizan la vida de personajes históricos locales, como el famoso pirata Roberto Cofresí, representado como una figura al estilo de Robin Hood, quien subvierte el orden social colonial. La colección también presenta personajes locales tan queridos como Cucarachita Martina, la amable cucaracha que se enamora de Ratoncito Pérez, su devoto esposo ratón que le trae deliciosa comida.
Incluyendo una nueva traducción al inglés de estos cuentos populares, así como las versiones originales en español, la colección también contiene una introducción del historiador literario Rafael Ocasio, quien destaca la importancia histórica de estos cuentos y los valores culturales del jíbaro que éstos imparten en los relatos. Estas historias vibrantes, divertidas y conmovedoras brindarán a los lectores una visión única de la rica herencia cultural de Puerto Rico.
262 pages, Hardcover
Published May 17, 2021
10 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 20, 2021
I saved this one for Read Caribbean month. Most of the book is comprised of folktales transcribed using traditional anthropology/folklore methodology, printed in Spanish and English. Variants on world folktales like Cinderella are prominent but there are also stories with characters local to Puerto Rico.
The stories are a great capture but the introduction really adds context and academic rigor to the subject, if you are interested in it from that perspective. The project was heavily influenced by Franz Boas and it's nice to see his work continuing into the 21st century.
The stories are a great capture but the introduction really adds context and academic rigor to the subject, if you are interested in it from that perspective. The project was heavily influenced by Franz Boas and it's nice to see his work continuing into the 21st century.
September 12, 2021
What a disservice to Puertorrican folk stories! These did not make any sense at all. I grew up reading about Juan Bobo, la Cucarachita Martina, and El Pirata Cofresí, and the stories included in this anthology do not do justice to the beautiful stories that are out there. The fact that these were edited to “[as] correct Castilian as possible” should have been a sign from the beginning. Doing so resulted in losing the flavor of the voice of the Jíbaro Puertorriqueño. Let me not get started on the Blanca Nieves and Cenicienta stories included in here…🤦🏽♀️ Not worth spending time on this book.
December 25, 2023
Interesting! The only improvement I could ask would be in-margin annotations to explain some of the cultural context.
October 6, 2025
Another Hispanic Heritage Month one! I thought it’d be really cool to look up some stories from Puerto Rico. This book is actually bilingual–all the stories in it are both in Spanish and English. The idea is that they’re taken from talking to people around the island (not unlike Briggs’s folklore book from England!), which is why you’ll see more than one variation on the same stories sometimes.
There are a few issues that I don’t know if they’re typos, or if that’s a result of trying to translate something out of the story. Okay, at least one WAS a typo–using ‘poised’ instead of ‘poisoned’--but there are a few others where it’s unclear. Because if you’re taking the account directly from people you talked to, it’s not always going to be grammatically correct or in formal language.
The front section is mostly fairy tales; there are at least three versions of “Snow White” and “Cinderella” each, which don’t sound too obviously different from the traditional European versions. That was kind of a surprise, but it’s interesting to see that those are among the stories that were told to kids in Puerto Rico (especially considering the lack of snow??). As you go on, there are more localized stories, though. There are a few Juan Bobo stories in here, and a chapter dedicated to Roberto Cofresi (consisting of tall tales rather than a biography, naturally).
Random thing that I thought about while reading this: Juan Bobo is sometimes described as a ‘trickster figure’ (including in the introduction of this book). I’d never really understood that, because he’s, uh… he’s a Bobo. A buffoon. That’s his schtick. When he triumphs, it’s because he bumbles into it. However! There are a couple of stories in here where he does fit the description, in that he’s not really an idiot, he just uses that impression of himself to pull one over on other people, which is an interesting idea.
It is not an essential collection, but it is very good, and an intriguing look at stories in an environment that doesn’t get enough attention–Puerto Rican folk stories.
[Sadly, el chupacabra does not make an appearance.]
There are a few issues that I don’t know if they’re typos, or if that’s a result of trying to translate something out of the story. Okay, at least one WAS a typo–using ‘poised’ instead of ‘poisoned’--but there are a few others where it’s unclear. Because if you’re taking the account directly from people you talked to, it’s not always going to be grammatically correct or in formal language.
The front section is mostly fairy tales; there are at least three versions of “Snow White” and “Cinderella” each, which don’t sound too obviously different from the traditional European versions. That was kind of a surprise, but it’s interesting to see that those are among the stories that were told to kids in Puerto Rico (especially considering the lack of snow??). As you go on, there are more localized stories, though. There are a few Juan Bobo stories in here, and a chapter dedicated to Roberto Cofresi (consisting of tall tales rather than a biography, naturally).
Random thing that I thought about while reading this: Juan Bobo is sometimes described as a ‘trickster figure’ (including in the introduction of this book). I’d never really understood that, because he’s, uh… he’s a Bobo. A buffoon. That’s his schtick. When he triumphs, it’s because he bumbles into it. However! There are a couple of stories in here where he does fit the description, in that he’s not really an idiot, he just uses that impression of himself to pull one over on other people, which is an interesting idea.
It is not an essential collection, but it is very good, and an intriguing look at stories in an environment that doesn’t get enough attention–Puerto Rican folk stories.
[Sadly, el chupacabra does not make an appearance.]
September 20, 2025
I try to read something in Spanish every day. I have done this for a few years now. My reading comprehension has improved dramatically in that time. Unfortunately, it hasn't seemed to help as much in my conversational abilities. I still struggle to understand what people say, and I struggle to get the right words to come out of my mouth. But ... if the words are in print, I can usually understand it quite plainly.
I found this book at the public library in my small town. It met my requirement of daily Spanish reading, but it was much less enjoyable than many other Spanish books I have read. The stories were mostly all pretty lame. And on top of that, the reading level was a little above my grade. I had to look up more words than I prefer, and usually those words were ones that could have easily been substituted with more commonly used synonyms.
I found this book at the public library in my small town. It met my requirement of daily Spanish reading, but it was much less enjoyable than many other Spanish books I have read. The stories were mostly all pretty lame. And on top of that, the reading level was a little above my grade. I had to look up more words than I prefer, and usually those words were ones that could have easily been substituted with more commonly used synonyms.
June 8, 2023
I enjoyed reading stories from the early 1900s in Puerto Rico. None of them were amazing or winning any awards, but it was a collection of children stories. I enjoyed seeing the different variations of the same story where you can see how individual storytellers would change parts and combine multiple stories into one.
Want to read
February 11, 2021Puerto Rico
February 21, 2023
Interesting look at the history Puerto Rican folktales including several stories in both English and Español.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews