Sunday, February 20, 2011

Wicked John and the Devil

There are many stories that I enjoy telling.  My favorites are the traditional folktales, especially the ones connected to North Carolina and its rich history.  One of my signature stories is Wicked John and the Devil.  This is a centuries-old story, from the Jack Tales tradition, about a cantakerous old blacksmith who outsmarts the devil.  The late Richard Chase collected this story, and many others, over 50 years ago while traveling around the state.  Wicked John and the Devil was actually put into book form in 1951 and published by Houghton Mifflin.  The words and illustrations are delightful.  In fact, I own four original copies of the book and prize them greatly. 

Wicked John and the Devil is the most animated story that I share with audiences.  This week I was happy to share it with elementary students in Elizabeth City.

2 Comments:

At February 25, 2011 at 12:55 PM , Blogger Someone said...

wow this is an amazing job. do you perform in washington much? And no i have not been to the new bookstore, i actually may do it today in fact!! thanks for the tip my new friend.

 
At February 26, 2011 at 8:05 AM , Blogger bardelf said...

Thanks, Chris. I do have an amazing job, both as a storyteller and a librarian. Been telling stories professionally for 20 years now, and working in the library field for even longer.

 

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