Paul Scott Derrick earned a master’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. in English Philology from the Universitat de Valencia, where he was a senior lecturer in American Literature until his retirement in 2017. He has published three collections of critical essays and co-edited four essay volumes. His most significant work as a translator includes four volumes, containing 13 individual books, of the poetry of Ana Blandiana into English (2014, 2017, 2021, 2025).Maria-Lluïsa Gea-Valor is a senior lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at the Universitat de Valencia, where she obtained her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics in 1998. Her research has been published in international volumes and indexed journals. She has co-edited several books on applied linguistics, corpus linguistics and translation, and has also co‑authored an English phonology textbook.

"The spirit of any culture is made of words. And fantasies. His profound love of words enabled Enric Valor to fashion a singular, original and seductive voice within the complex symphony of human languages. His folktales constitute a unique literary project: an essential reference in the canon of contemporary Valencian letters."Joan Borja, Senior Lecturer, Universitat d’Alacant and Director of the Catedra Enric Valor "There is no better medium than folklore to connect communities separated by geography and language; and this lively translation of Valor’s Valencian folktales achieves just that. The romance and human substance common to these stories is strikingly well conveyed by this fresh, energetic English version which opens up the marginalised experience of the Catalan original to a global audience."Dominic Keown, Emeritus Professor of Catalan Studies, Life Fellow, Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge"Paul Scott Derrick and Maria-Lluïsa Gea-Valor resume their diligent work on Valencian Folktales, rendering in sprightly English these inventive literary recastings of fantastical plots and themes, encountered often in other traditions. For readers of Catalan literature and students of the folktale – and its survivals – alike, the result is captivating."Paschalis Nikolaou, Associate Professor of Literary Translation, Ionian University, Greece

• 1 Introduction Maria-Lluïsa Gea-Valor2 The Gloves of Happiness 3 Saguntí, the Page: (A story from Penaguila) 4 And Eyeteeth Too: (A story from Penaguila)5 Mountain‑Masher: (A story from Xixona)6 The Last Admonition: (A story from Belgida) 7 Red‑Haired Man, Furry Dog and Round Stone: (A story from Penaguila)8 The Holy Souls: (A story from Biar) 9 Nabet: (A story from Belgida) 10 The Legend of the Itinerant Peddler: (Inspired by “the stone that gave out ribbon” on the castle hill of Castalla)11 Joan‑Ratot: (A story from Castalla) 12 Sister Fox’s Proclamation: (A story from Penaguila) 13 The Fox and the Crow: (A story from Castalla)

Paul Scott Derrick earned a master’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. in English Philology from the Universitat de Valencia, where he was a senior lecturer in American Literature until his retirement in 2017. He has published three collections of critical essays and co-edited four essay volumes. His most significant work as a translator includes four volumes, containing 13 individual books, of the poetry of Ana Blandiana into English (2014, 2017, 2021, 2025).Maria-Lluïsa Gea-Valor is a senior lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at the Universitat de Valencia, where she obtained her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics in 1998. Her research has been published in international volumes and indexed journals. She has co-edited several books on applied linguistics, corpus linguistics and translation, and has also co‑authored an English phonology textbook.

"The spirit of any culture is made of words. And fantasies. His profound love of words enabled Enric Valor to fashion a singular, original and seductive voice within the complex symphony of human languages. His folktales constitute a unique literary project: an essential reference in the canon of contemporary Valencian letters."Joan Borja, Senior Lecturer, Universitat d’Alacant and Director of the Catedra Enric Valor "There is no better medium than folklore to connect communities separated by geography and language; and this lively translation of Valor’s Valencian folktales achieves just that. The romance and human substance common to these stories is strikingly well conveyed by this fresh, energetic English version which opens up the marginalised experience of the Catalan original to a global audience."Dominic Keown, Emeritus Professor of Catalan Studies, Life Fellow, Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge"Paul Scott Derrick and Maria-Lluïsa Gea-Valor resume their diligent work on Valencian Folktales, rendering in sprightly English these inventive literary recastings of fantastical plots and themes, encountered often in other traditions. For readers of Catalan literature and students of the folktale – and its survivals – alike, the result is captivating."Paschalis Nikolaou, Associate Professor of Literary Translation, Ionian University, Greece

• 1 Introduction Maria-Lluïsa Gea-Valor2 The Gloves of Happiness 3 Saguntí, the Page: (A story from Penaguila) 4 And Eyeteeth Too: (A story from Penaguila)5 Mountain‑Masher: (A story from Xixona)6 The Last Admonition: (A story from Belgida) 7 Red‑Haired Man, Furry Dog and Round Stone: (A story from Penaguila)8 The Holy Souls: (A story from Biar) 9 Nabet: (A story from Belgida) 10 The Legend of the Itinerant Peddler: (Inspired by “the stone that gave out ribbon” on the castle hill of Castalla)11 Joan‑Ratot: (A story from Castalla) 12 Sister Fox’s Proclamation: (A story from Penaguila) 13 The Fox and the Crow: (A story from Castalla)

Paul Scott Derrick earned a master’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. in English Philology from the Universitat de Valencia, where he was a senior lecturer in American Literature until his retirement in 2017. He has published three collections of critical essays and co-edited four essay volumes. His most significant work as a translator includes four volumes, containing 13 individual books, of the poetry of Ana Blandiana into English (2014, 2017, 2021, 2025).Maria-Lluïsa Gea-Valor is a senior lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at the Universitat de Valencia, where she obtained her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics in 1998. Her research has been published in international volumes and indexed journals. She has co-edited several books on applied linguistics, corpus linguistics and translation, and has also co‑authored an English phonology textbook.

"The spirit of any culture is made of words. And fantasies. His profound love of words enabled Enric Valor to fashion a singular, original and seductive voice within the complex symphony of human languages. His folktales constitute a unique literary project: an essential reference in the canon of contemporary Valencian letters."Joan Borja, Senior Lecturer, Universitat d’Alacant and Director of the Catedra Enric Valor "There is no better medium than folklore to connect communities separated by geography and language; and this lively translation of Valor’s Valencian folktales achieves just that. The romance and human substance common to these stories is strikingly well conveyed by this fresh, energetic English version which opens up the marginalised experience of the Catalan original to a global audience."Dominic Keown, Emeritus Professor of Catalan Studies, Life Fellow, Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge"Paul Scott Derrick and Maria-Lluïsa Gea-Valor resume their diligent work on Valencian Folktales, rendering in sprightly English these inventive literary recastings of fantastical plots and themes, encountered often in other traditions. For readers of Catalan literature and students of the folktale – and its survivals – alike, the result is captivating."Paschalis Nikolaou, Associate Professor of Literary Translation, Ionian University, Greece

• 1 Introduction Maria-Lluïsa Gea-Valor2 The Gloves of Happiness 3 Saguntí, the Page: (A story from Penaguila) 4 And Eyeteeth Too: (A story from Penaguila)5 Mountain‑Masher: (A story from Xixona)6 The Last Admonition: (A story from Belgida) 7 Red‑Haired Man, Furry Dog and Round Stone: (A story from Penaguila)8 The Holy Souls: (A story from Biar) 9 Nabet: (A story from Belgida) 10 The Legend of the Itinerant Peddler: (Inspired by “the stone that gave out ribbon” on the castle hill of Castalla)11 Joan‑Ratot: (A story from Castalla) 12 Sister Fox’s Proclamation: (A story from Penaguila) 13 The Fox and the Crow: (A story from Castalla)