Today, as every 9th of May, we celebrate the unity of Europe. After the Second World War, European countries faced all the economic, social and political damage that a conflict of such magnitude brought. Out of solidarity and common interest the seed of what Europe is today was born. Germany and France, historically at odds with each other, pooled their coal and steel production capacity. From then on, other European nations joined this supranational project, whose main objectives were to preserve peace and guarantee the prosperity of the different member countries.
There is enormous cultural diversity in Europe, and it is the Schengen area itself that motivates us to get to know neighbouring nations more easily, removing internal borders. It is worthy to discover what is around us, as it makes us develop empathy, promote mutual respect and foster dialogue, key skills to participate in the constant cultural exchange that implies belonging to Europe. One way of getting closer to other cultures is through popular tradition, usually oral, but which we have collected in the Old Tales Series to facilitate its spreading.
In Libros de las malas compañías, we want to celebrate all the very different traditions that exist in Europe that often do not reach the general public. To do so, we have focused on all the stories through which we get to know a wonderful imaginary and different beliefs of countries that are so close geographically and yet so unfamiliar to us. For example, La Bella de la Tierra y otros cuentos albaneses de la viva voz del pueblo is an unique testimony in Spanish of Albanian customs.
From the west, Cuentos maravillosos rumanos come to show us stories not to be missed as they are guardians of an exceptionally complex and creative folklore.
We have also published El gigante del guisante y otros cuentos de Ucrania, which, as well as serving as support for all the Ukrainian children who have arrived in Spain, help us to see that some of their stories are not so different from ours, since in the end we all want to live happily and peacefully.
From further north, Cuentos Noruegos reminds us of the importance of fairytales for national identity, as it was one of the first books written in Norwegian.
Last but not least, Cuentos Antiguos de Gran Canaria is a compilation of legends told by the elders and collected by the children of the island, recovering the dynamics of oral transmission, which seems to be being replaced by technology and modern fiction. Besides, with the Legendary map the most significant stories can be located geographically.
It is a perfect day to celebrate what unites us, and to promote human values, rights and principles through storytelling and the oral tradition of European fairy tales.
