Miruna. A Tale

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This book, published by Twisted Spoon Press in Prague, presents a rich tapestry of storytelling set in a Carpathian village, a remnant of pre-modernity. An elderly man shares tales from his family's history, spanning the 1870s to the present, with his young grandchildren. One grandchild, now an adult, retells these stories, while Miruna, the other, may possess second sight. The narrative blends fantasy with historical figures, creating a unique landscape in a village named Evil Vale. Ancestors are portrayed as heroes, and the story shifts between their lives and the storyteller’s experiences during the world wars. As the grandfather's death looms, the grandchildren realize that modernity threatens to erase their family's legacy and the oral storytelling tradition. This novel is described as a meta-fairy tale, emphasizing the importance of passing down family history through spoken word. It intertwines autobiographical and historical elements with the marvelous, exploring themes that shaped traditional society in Romania's mountainous regions, which faced near extinction in the 20th century. Celebrated as a “literary jewel,” it won the Bucharest Writers Association Fiction Award in 2007.