Joseph and his Brethren. Three Ladino Versions
Culver City, Ca: Labyrinthos, 1990. Limited Edition. Hardcover. 1/200. 4to. XX, 315pp. on acid-free paper. Original black smyth-sewn clothbound with silver illustration on front cover and silver lettering on spine. Fifth volume in the "Sephardic Classical Library" series. A compilation of three Ladino adaptations of the biblical Joseph narrative. 1) Poema de Yosef: A late fourteenth or early fifteenth-century poetic version of the Joseph tale, composed in Spain and remaining popular in the Ottoman Jewish communities after the 1492 expulsion of the Jews. 2) Coplas de Yosef ha-Saddiq: composed before 1732 by Abraham Toledo and popularized throughout the Ottoman Empire, is an extensive poetic work including many sequences meant to be sung. 3) Joseph's Tale in the Ladino "Sefer ha-Yasar": written in the medieval Jewish tradition of pseudo-historical and legendary narratives, imitating non-Jewish models of epic chronicles and romances of chivalry. Contains a selected bibliography. Preface and introduction in English, the first two versions in romanized Ladino facing Ladino in Hebrew, the last version in romanized Ladino. Fine condition. vg. Item #41016
ISBN: 091143755X
Price: $95.00