Matilda Koen-Sarano

Matilda Koen-Sarano (in Hebrew: מתילדה כהן-סראנו‎), Israeli writer, born in Milan, Italy in 1939 to Turkish Jewish parents is one of the most widely known writers in the ladino language.

Biography

Matilda studied in the Jewish Community School of Milan, and also studied Languages at the Bocconi University in Milan and also Italian Literature and Judaeo-Spanish literature and Judaeo-Spanish folklore at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

She made aliyah in 1960. In the summer of 1979, she participated in the seminar for ladino language radio producers held in Kol Israel. This sparked in her the desire to write in this language and of putting the spotlight on everything she lived by theend of her childhood. In order to achieve this, she started interviewing several people from the Sephardic world and to record and keep hundreds of folk tales and traditional stories. Besides, this activity made her return to the university, as a scholar. Then she published her first book of Sephardic Folk Tales, named Kuentos del Folklor de la Famiya Djudeo-Espanyola (Folk tales of the Judaeo-Spanish family), in 1986,^[1] in Jerusalem.

In April 2009 she published her most recent book, “Kon bayles i kantes, Sefaradis de dor en dor” (With dances and songs, Sephardim from generation to generation).^[2]

Writings

• Kuentos del folklor de la famiya djudeo-espanyola + kaseta de kuentos, Kana, Yerushaláyim, 1986 (djudeo-espanyol/ebreo).

• Djohá ke dize?, Kana, Yerushaláyim, 1991 (dito).

• Konsejas i konsejikas del mundo djudeo-espanyol, Kana, Yerushaláyim, 1994 (dito).

• Lejendas i kuentos morales de la tradisión djudeo-espanyola, Nur, Yerushaláyim (dito), 1999.

• Viní kantaremos, koleksión de kantes djudeo-espanyoles, Edisión de la Autora, Jerusalem, 1993. Tresera edisión 2003, kuartena edisión 2006.

• Sipuré Eliau Anaví, kon notas de Shifra Safra, Midrashiat Amalia, Jerusalem, 1993-4 (dito).

• De Saragoza a Yerushaláyim, Ibercaja, Zaragoza, 1995 (in Ladino language).

• Storie di Giochà, in two editions:one for schools (1991) and another for the general public, Sansoni, Firenze, 1990 (in Italian language).

• Le storie del re Salomone. Sansoni, Firenze, 1993 (in Italian).

• King Solomon and the Golden Fish, kon notas sientífikas de Reginetta Haboucha, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan (in English ), 2004.

• Sefaradís de dor en dor, music soap opera. Music by Hayim Tsur. Israeli Ministry for Education and Culture, Jerusalem., 1997, (dito). Adapted for the Radio in 1999 (dito).

• Mil i un Djohá, komedia muzikal (múzika de Hayim Tsur), Edisión de la Autora, Jerusalem 1998 (in Ladino). Translated into English by Gloria J. Ascher, U.S.A., 2003.

• Maridos i mujeres, radio soap opera in 12 sketches, music by Hayim Tsur, Edisión de la Autora. Jerusalem, 2000 (in Ladino).

• Tres ermanikas, komedia radiofónika, music of Hayim Tsur, Edisión de la Autora. Jerusalem, 2000 (in Ladino). Adapted into a play in 2004.

• Kurso de Djudeo-Espanyol (Ladino) para Prinsipiantes, Ben Gurion University in the Negev, 1999. En traduksión al inglés de Gloria J. Ascher, idem 1999/2002.

• Kurso de Djudeo-Espanyol (Ladino) para Adelantados, Ben Gurion University in the Negev, 1999. (En traduksiyón, idem komo arriva).

• Kon Maymon Benchimol, Vokabulario Djudeo- Espanyol (Ladino) - Ebreo; Ebreo -Djudeo-Espanyol (Ladino), Ben Gurion University in the Negev, 1999.

• Tabelas de verbos en Djudeo-Espanyol (Ladino), Ed. de la Autora. Jerusalem, 1999.

• Ritmo antiko, poezías i kantigas, Edisión de la Autora. Jerusalem, 2005 (djudeo-espanyol-ivrit).

• Por el plazer de kontar - Kuentos de mi vida. Selection of stories. Nur Afakot. Jerusalem, 2006 (in Ladino).

• C.D.s Jewish Ladino Songs, Hataklit, Ramat-Gan, 1993 (five stories in Ladino) Narration by Matilda Koén-Sarano, music by Hayim Tsur. C.D. Nostaljía, Hataklit, Ramat-Gan, 1995 (18 stories in ladino. Narration by Matilda Koén-Sarano, music by Hayim Tsur. C.D. Sefaradís de dor en dor (las kantigas de la komedia muzikal), narrated by Matilda Koén-Sarano; music by Hayim Tsur. Hataklit, 1999. C.D. Dí ke no es tadre, 14 new stories in Ladino. Narration by Matilda Koén-Sarano, music by Avraham Reuveni. Jerusalem, 2002.

• Kuentos salados djudeo-espanyoles, Editorial Capitelum, Valencia, 2000 (in Ladino).

• Folktales of Joha, Jewish Trickster. Traslation to by David Herman, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia 2003.

• El kurtijo enkantado, Kuentos populares djudeo-espanyoles. Nur Hafakot, (in Ladino and Hebrew), Jerusalem 2003.

• Guerta muzikal: Koleksión de piesas muzikales djudeo-espanyolas, (Sefaradís de dor en dor, Music Comedy and Radio adaptation; Maridos i mujeres, Mil i un Djohá, El novio imajinario i Tres ermanikas). Matilda Koén-Sarano, Moshé Bahar, Hayim Tsur and Avraham Reuveni. Jerusalem, 2002 (djudeo-espanyol).

• “Kuentos del bel para abasho” Kuentos djudeo-espanyoles, Ed. Shalom, Istanbul 2005.

• “Kon bayles i kantes, Sefaradis de dor en dor” (in Ladino). 2009

• Vejés liviana, kuentos djudeo-espanyoles. Nur Hafakot, Jerusalem (in Ladino and Hebrew) (2006).

• Diksionario Ebreo-Djudeo-Espanyol (Ladino), Djudeo-Espanyol (Ladino)-Ebreo, (Hebrew-Ladino-Hebrew Dictionary). Zak, Jerusalem, (2010).

References

1. ^ Resume of Matilda Koen-Sarano (in Spanish). Editorial Grijalvo
2. ^ El ultimo livro de Matilda Koen-Sarano “Kon bayles i kantes”.Şalom Gazetesi, Turkish Jewish Journal in Ladino

Persondata
Name	Koen-Sarano, Matilda
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Date of birth	1939
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