author
Jeremiah Curtin
1835–1906
A gifted linguist and tireless collector of stories, this American folklorist helped preserve Irish tales and Native American traditions that might otherwise have been lost. His translations also introduced many English-language readers to major Polish writers.
6 Audiobooks
Myths and Folk-tales of the Russians, Western Slavs, and Magyars
by Jeremiah Curtin
The Mongols : A history
by Jeremiah Curtin
Myths and Folk Tales of Ireland
by Jeremiah Curtin
Myths of the Modocs
by Jeremiah Curtin
Creation Myths of Primitive America In relation to the Religious History and Mental Development of Mankind
by Jeremiah Curtin
The Mongols in Russia
by Jeremiah Curtin
About the author
Born on September 6, 1835, Jeremiah Curtin was an American ethnographer, folklorist, and translator with a remarkable gift for languages. He studied at Harvard and went on to build a career that ranged across literature, folklore, and field research, earning a reputation for both curiosity and persistence.
Curtin is especially remembered for collecting and retelling traditional stories, including Irish folktales and myths, and for documenting the beliefs and oral traditions of several Native American communities while working for the Bureau of American Ethnology from 1883 to 1891. His work preserved a wide range of narratives and customs for future readers and researchers.
He was also an important translator. Among his best-known achievements were bringing works by the Polish novelist Henryk Sienkiewicz to English-speaking audiences. Curtin died on December 14, 1906, but his books remain a lively meeting place of language, legend, and cultural history.