V zborniku je petindvajset razprav raziskovalcev iz vsega sveta od Anglije, Bolgarije, Danske, Finske, Hrvaške, Madžarske, Makedonije, Mehike, Romunije, Rusije, Škotske, Walesa do ZDA in seveda Slovenije. Razprave so pregled mednarodnega raziskovanja ljudskih balad in predstavljajo, kako se tokovi preteklega in odsevi zgodovinskih časov, arhetipske zgodbe prepletajo z vdorom naših kulturnih in družbenih razmer tudi v nastajanje, odmiranje in ponovno oživljanje balad, tako da njihovo raziskovanje prinaša neizogibne spremembe.

The themes of longing, weakness and temptation are relevant to every human and are interwoven with all fundamental ideals and values of the created, rational being. Temptation is all the more dramatic, the broader the perspective of recognition, the power of human longing and the sense of the difference between good and evil. This book is a summary of a study which compares and contrasts Slovenian and European literary works created under the influence of biblical source texts (Adam and Eve, Joseph from Egypt, Samson and Dalilah, etc.) and the works of other known and unknown origins (Homer’s Iliad, Goethe’s Faust, various versions of the myth of the Fair Vida, etc.). The ascribing of a text to a genre provides the interpreter of the text with a key intertextual framework and with a system of references to other books, other texts, other literary statements. The intertextual approach is obviously appropriate to the study of contents, symbols and forms of literary works. It shows how the source text continues to speak through the new work and how the new work forces new meanings from the source text. Later writers use important themes with a historical sense, when aiming toward a better understanding of authenticity of human existence.

The expanded third edition of the Historical Dictionary of Slovenia covers personalities and events that have made a mark on Slovenia in the more than a decade since the last edition. This includes new entries related to Slovenia’s first 13 years as a member of NATO and the EU, changing diplomatic relations with its neighbors and other global states and institutions, a new crop of politicians who have upended the political status quo, entries related to Slovenia’s worst 21st century recession (2008-2013), nationwide protests against corruption, and many other developments. This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Slovenia contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 500 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Slovenia.

For more than 1,300 years Slovenes had lived in Eastern Europe without having a separate Slovene state, but in December of 1990, they voted for independence, or, put more appropriately, for "disassociation" from Yugoslavia. Unfortunately, Slovenia had to fight for its independence, which it did not fully achieve until 1995 after its bloody disintegration with Yugoslavia was over. Since independence, however, Slovenia has prospered; its economy is far ahead of other former communist states and in 2004 Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the European Union, the only republic of former Yugoslavia to do so. The A to Z of Slovenia covers the history of Slovenia and its struggle to gain independence from communism. This is done through a detailed chronology, an introduction, appendixes, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on some of the more significant persons, places, and events; institutions and organizations; and political, economic, social, cultural, and religious facets.

This volume is intended as a belated but heartfelt thank-you and Gedenkschrift to the late Larry Syndergaard (1936-2015), long-time professor of English at Western Michigan University and Fellow of the Kommission für Volksdichtung (International Ballad Commission). Larry’s contributions down the decades to ballad studies--particularly Scandinavian and Anglophone--included dozens of papers and articles, as well as his supremely useful book, English Translations of the Scandinavian Medieval Ballads. As David Atkinson and Thomas A. McKean of the Kommission have written (May 2015): “Larry... was a sound scholar with a penetrating mind which he used to support, encourage and befriend others, rather than show off his own knowledge. He will be remembered for his contributions to international balladry, especially for providing a bridge between the English- and Scandinavian-language ballads.” Larry’s particular fascination with the vernacular ballads of the northern medieval world are reflected in this collection; topics here range from plot elements such as demonic whales, otherworldly antagonists, and mer-people to thematic issues of genre, religion and sexual mores. As a tribute to the global influence of Larry’s scholarship and the broad academic interest in medieval ballads, the essays in this volume were contributed by twelve international scholars of narrative song based in Europe, North America and Australia.

"Folklore, history, literature, and technology combine with structuralism and functionalism, repertoire studies, and themes of cultural change to reflect the multidisciplinary nature of the field today."--Jacket.