VERY STRANGE FAIRY TALES (“Bardzo Dziwne Bajki”) (1916) was Makuszyński’s first book of Polish fairy tales — he had previously published ARABIAN ADVENTURES (“Awantury Arabskie”) in 1913 – which drew heavily on the legends and fairytales of the Middle East. VERY STRANGE FAIRY TALES collects the previously published “Kopytko The Shoemaker and Kwak The Duck” (1912) along with three other original tales, “Princess Marysia, The Black Swan And The Ice Mountain”, “How The Tailor, Mr. Thread, Became King” and the notable, long-form novella “Brave Janek And His Dog.” While in many ways these are standard European Fairy Tales, teaching concepts like Empathy, Resourcefulness, Kindness and Bravery, they are also written with a particular sparkle and inventiveness that makes them noteworthy and secures their classic status. “Brave Janek,” in particular, is a delightful extended adventure narrative of monsters and witches, told from the point-of-view of the titular character’s faithful dog. The edition also includes an Afterword from the Translator.