Children's Tales - A Translation
Author: Rhiannon O’Keefe
Made for: COMPLIT 111Q: Texts and Contexts: Spanish/English Literary Translation Workshop
Nominated by: Cintia Santana
Ask any Salvadoran, and they'll be able to tell you about Menchedita Copalchines, or la Cocolina, or any other favorite character from when they read Cuentos de Cipotes as a child. Cuentos is the most beloved collection of short stories in El Salvador. Rather than writing Cuentos para Cipotes (Tales for Children), its renowned author, Salarrué, wanted to bring out the inner child in everyone by telling these simple, silly, and incredibly imaginative stories as if they were being narrated by children -- an effect I attempted to recreate in my own writing. I hope my humble translation of an unrivaled classic gives you a taste of Salvadoran culture and brings out your inner child.
