The tales found in The Arabian Nights are the written literature versions of folk stories that have survived in the oral tradition until today, but with a new vitality. Whether stories carved out from The Arabian Nights or taken directly from sources used by The Arabian Nights (as Borges liked to think), they bear similarities and differences with these old folk tales. They are always very fast, surprising tales that speak of genies, donkeys, handsome boys, fascinating women, fools and the wise. In this case, the stories are intended for the entire family, who will get the chance to enjoy “The Misadventures of the Fateful Slippers” and other such tales.

Héctor Urién (Madrid, 1977) makes his living from telling stories. As a professional storyteller, he performs his art and stage work at theaters in Spain and Latin America. Drawn by his curiosity and and a deeply ingrained scientific streak, Urién has developed his own regular storytelling workshop in Madrid, where students and teacher discover the inner workings of stories and the mystery of oral storytelling together. As an on-stage storyteller, his most original and exciting project is related with “The Arabian Nights,” whose tales he normally tells one by one every Tuesday night at a small theater in downtown Madrid. A short, straightforward storyteller, he has taken part in several national and international festivals and co-directs the annual festival “Ávila de cuento.” He has had several essays published, including La narración fractal: arte y ciencia de la oralidad (Fractal Storytelling: Art and science of orality, Palabras del candil, 2015), El arte de contar bien una historia (The Art of Telling a Good Story, Planeta, 2001), Teoría y práctica de la