Barbara BaderCritiques
Auteur de American Picturebooks from Noah's Ark to The Beast Within
Critiques
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Bader explores the ties between the Greek fables associated with Aesop - believed to have been a slave on sixth-century Samos - and the fable tradition of the ancient Sumerians; as well as discussing the many classical authors, from Demetrius to Babrius and Phaedrus, who adapted his stories. The fables she selected are generally well-known favorites, from The Tortoise and the Hare to The Ant and the Grasshopper. Each is presented on a two-page spread, together with an engraved illustration by Arthur Geisert. The book closes with a number of legends concerning Aesop's life while a slave on Samos - his unattractive appearance, his superior intellect, and the way in which he won his freedom.
Read as part of my recent "Aesop Project," I thought that Aesop & Company was an enjoyable and informative book. I found Bader's adaptations engaging, and Geisert's sepia-toned engravings quite interesting, but it was the author's scholarly introduction which truly appealed to me, and I find myself considering digging a little deeper into the classical sources for "Aesop's" fables. It think perhaps I will seek out the work of of Babrius and Phaedrus...