King Solomon and the Golden Fish

This collection of Sephardic narratives culled from . . . Israel, Turkey, Greece, Morocco, and Yugoslavia represents a marvelous introduction to the creative imagination and cultural richness of the Sephardic world. . . . [King Solomon and the Golden Fish: Tales from the Sephardic Tradition] constitutes a delightful addition to the Jewish library. Indeed, it should really be among the short lists of books that a Jewish library must possess."

~Jane Gerber, Institute for Sephardic Studies, City University of New York

[This] book will appeal both to the general reader who simply wishes to imbibe the Sephardic culture contained in these tales as well as to scholars interested in the contributions made by Sephardic tales to the universal field of folklore."

~Ralph Tarica, La Lettre Sépharade 

The strength of the storytelling tradition in Sephardic Jewish culture is well documented in this fine collection of folktales. The introductory material, a careful discussion of the Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) language, storyteller biographies, discussion of the richness of detail in the stories themselves, intelligent and thorough commentary, and an extensive bibliography ass up to an informative explanation of Sephardic culture.

~Choice

A pioneering work to savor and treasure! A delight! This first diverse collection, by master storyteller and scholar Matilda Koén-Sarano, of Judeo-Spanish folk tales in English, will attract specialists with its extensive annotation and inspire and challenge all to tell the tales and transmit the precious human legacy they exemplify."

~Gloria J. Ascher