Introduction -- Letters from 1973 to 1979 -- Letters from 1980 to 1989 -- Letters from 1990 to 1999 -- Letters from 2000 to 2009 -- Letters from 2010 to 2019 -- Letters from 2020 to 2023 -- Name index.
Summary:
"This volume contains fifty years of correspondence between the folklorists Dan Ben-Amos (1934-2023) from the University of Pennsylvania and Wolfgang Mieder (1944) from the University of Vermont. Originally arriving as immigrants from Israel and Germany, they taught fifty and more years at their respective institutions. As they dedicated their lives to teaching and mentoring countless students, they also excelled as scholars in the international field of folkloristics. They met for the first time in 1973 at the annual meeting of the American Folklore Society in Nashville, Tennessee. Right from the beginning, they sensed a kinship, and as the letter showed, they were always there for each other, encouraging, and helping each other with their scholarly projects, and celebrating the other's successes. There was never any envy or disagreement, nor do any of the letters contain negative remarks about colleagues or students. Instead, the letters are full of respect, recognition, and admiration- a fine example of their humane approach to the professional and personal lives. The proverb, "A good friend is a treasure," is the perfect piece of folk wisdom to characterize their friendship. The heartfelt designation of "treasured friend" is but one of the leitmotifs in their letters. References to their supportive wives, Batsheva and Barbara appear again and again, with both of them being thankful that they understand their scholarly obsession. Their scholarly bond was sealed by way of the keen interest in bibliographical references that abound in the letters. But there are also stories, jokes, and proverbs that add an entertaining and humorous tone to their letters. While some are filled with detailed information, others amount to mere messages sent by email. Time was often of the essence, with four short messages going back-and-forth in one day! The most recent letters, written during the isolation of the pandemic, are replete with the anti-proverb "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." They changed the proverb in light of the fact that they, as senior professors, were able to learn how to teach online and give talks at virtual conferences"-- Page 4 of cover.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.