author

Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Ortoli

b. 1861

A pioneering collector of Corsican folk traditions, this late-19th-century writer helped bring the island’s tales and laments into print. He also wrote story collections for younger readers, mixing scholarship with a love of storytelling.

1 Audiobook

Evening Tales

Evening Tales

by Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Ortoli

About the author

Born in 1861 and active in the late 1800s, Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Ortoli was a Corsican folklorist and man of letters. Reference sources describe him as one of the first writers to seriously study and publish the oral traditions of Corsica, helping preserve stories and poetic forms that had long circulated by word of mouth.

His best-known works include Les Contes populaires de l'île de Corse (1883) and Les Voceri de l'île de Corse (1887). These books established his reputation as an important early recorder of Corsican popular literature.

After that scholarly work, he also turned to writing for younger audiences, publishing books such as Les Contes du capitaine, Les Contes de la veillée, and Le Monde enchanté. He died in 1907, leaving behind a body of work that bridges folklore research and imaginative storytelling.