Baba Yaga Laid an Egg - (Myths) by Dubravka Ugresic (Paperback)

About the Book

Dubravka Ugresic retells the myth of Baba Yaga - one of the most famous stories in Russian and Eastern European mythology

Book Synopsis

Baba Yaga is an old hag who lives in a house built on chicken legs and kidnaps small children. She is one of the most pervasive and powerful creatures in all mythology. She appears in many forms: as Pupa, a tricksy, cantankerous old woman who keeps her legs tucked into a huge furry boot; as a trio of mischievous elderly women who embark on the trip of a lifetime to a hotel spa; and as a villainous flock of ravens, black hens and magpies infected with the H5N1 virus. But what story does Baba Yaga have to tell us today?

This is a quizzical tale about one of the most pervasive and powerful creatures in all mythology, and an extraordinary yarn of identity, secrets, storytelling and love.

From the Back Cover

'Ugresic is a writer to follow. A writer to be cherished.'
Susan Sontag

Baba Yaga is an old hag who lives in a house built on chicken legs and eats children. She appears in many forms: as Pupa, a tricksy, cantankerous old woman who keeps her legs tucked into a huge furry boot; as a trio of mischievous elderly women who embark on the trip of a lifetime to a hotel spa; and as a villainous flock of ravens, black hens and magpies infected with the H5N1 virus. But what story does Baba Yaga have to tell us today?

This is a quizzical tale about one of the most pervasive and powerful creatures in all mythology, and an extraordinary yarn of identity, secrets, storytelling and love.

'Packed with intellectual surprises and emotional revelations.'
Tina Jackson, Metro

'Ugresic's retelling may be blisteringly postmodern in its execution but at its heart is a human warmth and even a
silliness that infuses it with the sweet magic of storytelling.'
Melissa Katsoulis, The Times

'A profound and startling meditation on the themes of femininity and ageing.'
London Review of Books

'Beautifully written . . . its humane vision of the world is driven by great imaginative impetus.'
Times Literary Supplement

Review Quotes

The message that old crones are the product of "long-lived, labyrinthine, fertile, profoundly misogynistic but also cathartic work of the imagination" is expressed with humour, eloquence and anger.--Alyssa McDonald "New Statesman"

Contains some of the most profound reflections on culture, memory and madness you wiill ever read.--Carole Angier on THE MINISTRY OF PAIN "Independent"

Packed with intellectual surprises and emotional revelations--Tina Jackson "The Metro"

She is a writer to follow. A writer to be cherished.-- "Susan Sontag"

Ugrasic's retelling may be blisteringly postmodern in its execution but at its heart is a human warmth and even a silliness that infuses it with the sweet magic of storytelling.--Melissa Katsoulis "The Times"

Ugresic has a unique tone of voice, a madcap wit and a lovely sense of the absurd. Ingenious.--Marina Warner

Ugresic is sharp, funny and unfazed in the face of the little dictators who have torn apart her former country. Orwell would be proud.--Timothy Garton-Ash on THE MINISTRY OF PAIN

About the Author

Dubravka Ugresic was born in 1949 in Yugoslavia. She has published both novels and books of essays. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages and she has received several major European literary awards, including the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, known as the 'American Nobel', in 2016. She was also a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize 2009. She is now based in Amsterdam.