OVIDIU BÂRLEA (1917–1990) is one of the most important Romanian folklorists of the last century. Author of fundamental studies, theoretician, collector of folklore, editor, novelist, he stood out for his preoccupation with providing Romanian folklore with sound scientific bases, working tools adapted to the specifics of this field, always emphasizing the attention that specialists must show towards the ethno-folkloric document from the phase of its collection from the popular environment to its transcription, typology and analysis in the integrative context of popular culture. An encyclopedic spirit, he built and systematized folklore archive funds and addressed a wide range of topics, including: the methodology and history of ethno-folkloric research, the relationship between cultured literature and folklore, the types of popular literature, beliefs and superstitions, traditional dance, etc. The small encyclopedia of Romanian stories offers a concentrated and at the same time deep picture of the universe of autochthonous narrative, capitalizing on Ovidiu Bârlea's extensive knowledge in this field. In only 126 articles are presented the main elements of the folk tale, understood in a broad sense (including here the fantastic fairy tale, the fairy tale about animals, the legend, the story, the snoava, the historical event), from the consecrated characters and the mythical motifs from the magic-ritual substratum to matters of literary theory (opinions about the origin of the fairy tale, its classification and structure). The unbroken scientific relevance of the volume even today is ensured by the author's care to relate the Romanian variants to the universal heritage and international typology of the fairy tale.
