Description

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 poerful creatures in all mythology, and an extraordinary yarn of identity, secrets, storytelling and love.

Publisher Review

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 * * Packed with intellectual surprises and emotional revelations -- Tina Jackson * * The Metro * * 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 * * Ugresic has a unique tone of voice, a madcap wit and a lovely sense of the absurd. Ingenious. -- Marina Warner She is a writer to follow. A writer to be cherished. * * Susan Sontag * * 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 Contains some of the most profound reflections on culture, memory and madness you wiill ever read. -- Carole Angier on THE MINISTRY OF PAIN * * Independent * *