From the myth to the reality of being called a witch
The myth of Baba Yaga is one of the most famous stories in Russian and Eastern European mythology. Baba Yaga is a witch-like character who lives in a house on chicken feet and kidnaps young children. In her latest novel, Baba Yaga Laid an Egg the Croatian writer and academic Dubravka Ugresic tackles the myth through contemporary narratives, from the story of a women’s relationship with her mother, and the tale of three ageing women on holiday at a spa. Jane talks to Dubravka about her novel and leaving her homeland of the former Yugoslavia and moving to Amsterdam after being proclaimed a ‘traitor’, a ‘public enemy’ and a ‘witch’. Baba Yaga Laid an Egg is published by Canongate Books ISBN 978 1 84767 066 3
