Tales of Giants from Brazil

Notes: The second book by Elsie Spicer Eells contains an additional 12 Brazilian folktales.
Author: Elsie Spicer Eells
Published: 1918
Publisher: Dodd, Mead and Company, Inc., New York

PREFACE

Elsie Spicer Eells was an American author who traveled extensively and collected numerous stories. Born Eusebeia Spicer in West Winfield, New York on September 21, 1880, she married Burr Gould Eells and became a dedicated collector of tales. Her publications include Fairy Tales from Brazil, South America’s Story, and Tales of Enchantment from Spain.

In her introduction to Tales of Giants from Brazil, Eells notes that some of the stories in the book have been adapted from a collection by Dr. Sylvio Romero, titled Contos Populares do Brazil. This volume was Elsie Spicer Eells’ second collection of stories, published in 1918. It features stories about giants, as Eells puts it, “Brazil is the land of giant fruits and giant flowers. Of course, it is also the land of giant stories.”

The introduction to Tales of Giants from Brazil explains that Portuguese settlers traveled to Brazil, bringing with them not only goods but also their tales. Over time, the Brazilian culture built upon and expanded the folk tales of the “old world,” giving them new life.

For Tales of Enchantment from Spain, Eells collected Spanish fairy tales and retold them, trying to preserve these stories for North Americans and South Americans. This collection of Spanish fairy tales was published in 1920 and features whimsical stories of magic.