The White Ravens Database

Presented by   Internationale Jugendbibliothek / International Youth Library

Spanish / Mexico

Kitsunebi, fuego de Zorro

(Kitsunebi, fox fire)

Riva Palacio Obón, Martha (text)
Sekkur, Sólin (illus.)
México, D.F.: Ediciones Castillo, 2019. – 75 p.
(Series: Castillo de la lectura)
ISBN 978-607-540-465-3

Japan  | Myth  | Saga  | Fairy tale  | Story  | Magic

Reading age: 12+

White Ravens issue: 2020

OPAC

Fascinated and inspired by Japan’s history and culture, its myths and sagas, Mexican author Martha Riva Palacio Obón has written seven short stories that offer new angles on material, motifs, and characters from folk tales of the island nation. The texts are polished gems written in a poetic, nuanced language and are inspired by Japanese haibun, a literary form that connects prose and verse. The stories tell of samurais, noble ladies and monks, of foxes and cats, palaces, caves, enchanted forests, and mysterious temples. They float between reality, dream, and magic. Nothing is explained, no mysteries solved, and a veil is draped over all and is not lifted. The artfully composed texts are nebulous and secret-filled, a feeling echoed in the partly silhouetted illustrations of Sólin Sekkur, which offer a night-blue glimpse of the worlds of the in-between and of the spirits. [JW]