The Bovo-Bukh gained prominence in the late 18th century under the name Bovo-mayse (literally "Bovo's tale"). This name later evolved into Bubbe meise, meaning "old wives' tale".[1]
Plot summary
The story, derived from the Anglo-Norman romance of Bevis of Hampton, tells the tale of Bovo and Druzane. Despite having no basis in Jewish reality, it differentiates itself from other chivalric romances by using subdued Christian symbols and incorporating Jewish customs.[1]
The narrative begins with Bovo's young mother plotting to have her elderly husband, the king, killed during a hunt. Following his death, she marries the murderer. The couple attempts to poison Bovo, fearing he will seek revenge, but he escapes to Flanders, where he becomes a stable boy for a king. The king's daughter, Druzane, falls in love with him.[2]
A heathen sultan of Babylonia then arrives with an army of ten thousand warriors, demanding Druzane’s hand in marriage for his ugly son, Lucifer. When the king refuses, war ensues. Bovo, riding the magical horse Pumele and wielding the magic sword Rundele, defeats the sultan's army and kills Lucifer. He is promised Druzane's hand but is later imprisoned in Babylonia for a year.
Believing Bovo to be dead, Druzane agrees to marry a knight named Macabron. On their wedding day, Bovo, disguised as a beggar, appears and flees with Druzane. They hide in a forest where Druzane gives birth to twins. Bovo sets off to find a way back to Flanders but is presumed dead after an encounter with a lion. Druzane returns to Flanders with the twins. Bovo, upon his return, discovers their absence and believes them lost. In despair, he joins an army against Antona, kills his stepfather, and claims his rightful crown. Eventually, he reunites with Druzane, who becomes his queen.[2]
Modern editions
Elia Levita Bachur's Bovo-Buch: A Translation of the Old Yiddish Edition of 1541 with Introduction and Notes by Elia Levita Bachur, translated and notes by Jerry C. Smith, Fenestra Books, 2003, ISBN1-58736-160-4.
Liptzin, Sol. A History of Yiddish Literature, Jonathan David Publishers, Middle Village, NY, 1972, ISBN0-8246-0124-6
Rosenzweig, Claudia. Il Bovo de-Antona di Elia Bachur Levita e le sue fonti, Tesi Università degli studi di Milano, 1994/95, rel. M. L. Modena Mayer, 291
Rosenzweig, Claudia. "La letteratura yiddish in Italia: l'esempio del Bovo de-Antona di Elye Bocher", ACME - Annali della Facoltà di lettere e filosofia dell'Università degli Studi di Milano, vol. 50, fasc. 3, 1997, p.159-189.
Rosenzweig, Claudia. "Il poema yiddish in versi Bovo d'Antona in una versione manoscritta del XVI sec.", Medioevo Romanzo, vol. XXVI, fasc. I, gennaio-aprile 2002, p.49–68.
Rosenzweig, Claudia. "Kurtsvaylike Literatur. Il Bovo d’Antona e il romanzo cavalleresco in yiddish nell’Italia del Rinascimento", in: C. Rosenzweig, A.L. Callow, V. Brugnatelli, F. Aspesi (a cura di), Florilegio filologico e linguistico. Haninura de Bon Siman a Maria Luisa Mayer Modena, Milano, Cisalpino, 2008, ISBN978-88-323-6098-1, p.169-188.
Rosenzweig, Claudia. "From the Square and the Court to the Private Space. Some Remarks on the Yiddish Version of the Chivalric Poem Bovo d’Antona", Zutot 5.1 (2008), p.53–62.Shmeruk, Chone. "Prokim fun der yidisher literatur-geshikhte”, Peretz Farlag, Tel-Aviv 1988 (in Yiddish)
