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Folktales from many regions of the Indonesian archipelago. Researched and retold by Indonesian teller Murti Bunanta. With photographs.

Indonesian Folktales

Author:

Illustrator:

Murti Bunanta

G. M. Sudarta Editor: Margaret Read MacDonald

Folktales from many regions of the Indonesian archipelago. Researched and retold by Indonesian teller Murti Bunanta. With photographs.

Categories

Story origins: Indonesia

Story origins: Bali

Storytelling: Folktale Collections

Languages: Indonesian

Folktale Collections

Editions

Hardcover

2003

Libraries Unlimited

144 pages

1-56308-909-2

Quotes

A gem of a book, with a collection of 33 tales, many of which have never been written down in English before.

Kirin Shah, Good Books Bookstore, Singapore

Readers will be delighted with such a fresh and interesting collection of tales, many never before published, even in Indonesian. The extra materials enhance the understanding of each story and place it in proper cultural context. Impeccably documented.

Story Bag

The stories really come alive both through the retelling and through the extensive history that's included...backgrounds that will make them more meaningful both in the retelling and in their study.

Dan Keding, Sing Out!

As with other volumes in this series, the book begins with valuable information about the country....MacDonald has appended excellent source notes giving background on each tale....There have been few collections of Indonesian folktales readily available.

Territorial Tattler

World Folktales series continues its tradition of careful contextualizing. ... chapters on the history and culture of the Indonesian archipelago, buttressed by photos, bibliography, glossary, and notes, give a firm foundation for the 29 stories – 13 from or

storynet.org

Indonesian Folktales is worth reading--and keeping--for those who want to broaden their knowledge on traditional Indonesian culture. It is hoped that this kind of literature will reach a wide readership through publishing and literary discussions to preserve Indonesia's heritage.

The Jakarta Post

Awards

Mouse illustration by Julie Paschkis

© 2025 Margaret Read MacDonald

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