Folktales from Iraq was first published in London in 1949 under the title Tales from the Arab Tribes. The present paperback edition maintains the original’s format and drawings (by John Buckland Wright). Although this collection of folktales has been available in print for more than half a century, its continued relevance to current international events and cultural movements is still evident, and may be the reason for the change of title. Two other tale collections by Campbell followed: From Town and Tribe (London, 1952), which contained tales from the same geographic region (Iraq and Muscat), and Told in the Market Place (London, 1954), which covered a broader field that also included such countries as Libya, Jordan, and Palestine.
The anthology presents a total of sixteen texts mostly from Shiites inhabiting the Lower Euphrates in Southern Iraq (thirteen texts from the Muntafiq tribal alliance, one from Bani Huchaim, and two from Al Felta). The narratives were collected in the field from tribesmen, two of whom were acting as guides for Campbell while on a hunting trip near the ancient site of Ur in 1942. In cases where the narrator’s name was given, all were males and presumably adult. The Notes section (238-246) offers a variety of information that can help the reader understand the circumstances surrounding a tale’s contents and local practices.
Campbell prefaces the collection by presenting some social and cultural characteristics of the region. He explains the local distinction between "Bedouins" and "Arabs" according to his two guides: the former have many camels and few sheep, while the latter are landowning Shiite cultivators having many sheep and few camels. A brief history of "the Muntafiq," a confederation of Shiia tribes formed to oppose the Ottomans, is given. The author laments the downfall of tribal ways of life due to modern advances and the coming of oil companies with their Western technologies and lifestyles into the region. He concludes the preface by emphasizing the paramount role of the Arabic language in the life of the population, and cautioning students of Arabic against underestimating its demands:[1]
"To those who want the real beauty of a precise language, I say that this can be found in written Arabic, but I warn them that Arabic is an Everest of languages, not to be stormed by some carefree explorer bent on a year or so of study. Seven years of steady plodding may bring the explorer to the snowline, but the icy peaks still tower above him in all their clear beauty, as they have stood for over two thousand years, nor are their slopes safe for any but Arab feet to tread. In the words of Ibn ed Dahhan [an Arab intellectual], they may well say:
"’Do not think that you will be a poet such as we, for though the hen is feathered, it does not fly.’" (8-9)
Recent political and military events, where lack of knowledge of Arabic has had disasterous consequences, testify to the validity of Campbell’s observation.
The texts in Folktales from Iraq are re-presented in highly polished English and seem to reflect Campbell’s own literary style (also found in his subsequent tale publications). The tales belong to a variety of genres that include the Zaubermärchen/magic tale (e.g., "Hajji Ali, the Great Sultan, and his Son, the Amir Kheyyun," 10-17); the novella (e.g., "The Folly of Jealousy," 22-27); and the humorous anecdote (e.g., "The Ignorance of Slaves," 18-23, and "The Two Dancers," 166-181). Absent are the simple animal tale and the formula tale, which is a typical trait of male narration.
Most of the narratives conform to international tale-type patterns. The titles cited above represent AaTh 507C, The Serpent Maiden (with the role of the grateful dead played by a grateful fish, a typical characteristic of Arab renditions); 516A, The Sign Language of the Princess [and the misunderstood true friend]; 1288, Numskulls Cannot Find their Own Legs [or Another Limb (Organ)]; and 1542:V, The Clever Boy, respectively. Other tale-types include AaTh 1318, Object Thought to be Ghosts (56-69); and the newly developed 1874A§, "The Year-of-the-Broken-Wind (Fart)!" Homecoming man unintentionally reminded of his past indiscretion: shamed into leaving town again (28-41); and 0859E§, The Penniless Wooer: "My Caravans are just about to Arrive!" (110-130). For details, see H. El-Shamy, Types of the Folktale in the Arab World.
The data in Campbell’s collections played virtually no role in typological or genre studies. None of Campbell’s works were included in S. Thompson’s Motif Index of Folk-Literature. Aarne-Thompson’s The Types of the Folktale lists only the present work as one of its sources. Yet, only two texts were designated as tale-types. These are: "1447, Drinking only after a Bargain [...] p. 56;" and "1545A, Learning to Sleep in Bed [...] p. 43." Similarly, Hans-Jörg Uther’s outstanding revision and expansion of the Aarne-Thompson index titled The Types of International Folktales does not list the present anthology as one of its sources; yet it identifies only the first text (under 1447A* Selling Wine to Each Other, and lists it as "Saudi Arabian: Campbell 1949").
The republication of Tales from the Arab Tribes in its present attractive form as Folktales from Iraq is a welcome addition to the folklore library that will, hopefully, lead to closer examination of its contents. A new editorial statement and a general index would have enhanced the usefulness of this valuable work.
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[1] For examples of such demands, see "Issues of Translation and Symbolic Significance" and "Theoretical Speculations" in H. El-Shamy, A Motif Index of The Thousand and One Nights, pp. 9-13, 13-15, respectively.
References Cited
Aarne, Antti and Stith Thompson. The Types of the Folktale: A Classification and Bibliography, FFC No. 184, Helsinki: Academia Scientiarum Fennica, 1961.
El-Shamy, Hasan, A Motif Index of The Thousand and One Nights. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006.
--------. Types of the Folktale in the Arab World: a Demographically Oriented Approach. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004.
Thompson, Stith. Motif Index of Folk-Literature, 6 vols. (Bloomington: Indiana University Press 1955-58.
Uther, Hans-Jörg. The Types of International Folktales: A Classification and Bibliography. FFC No. 284-286, Helsinki: Academia Scientiarum Fennica, 2004.
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[Review length: 1018 words • Review posted on January 18, 2007]