Some jokes about Latvian folklorists





1. In 1951-1952 students of Latvia State University went to countryside to collect Soviet folklore. The things seemed to be rather hopeless until they met an excellent informant. She recited them many songs about Lenin and Stalin. So students returned home happy with big collection of Soviet folksongs. Later they found out that their informant was the head of the Latvian Folklore Archives (LFK) Anna Berzkalne, who was accused of bourgeois nationalism and dismissed in 1950. The songs she had composed spontaneously.



2. In his young age folklorist R. liked to eat yeast dough. He was delighted to tell his colleagues about this cheap "wonder" - buying only 100 grams you can get a great amount of it in a short time. Once R. forgotten his 100 grams in his drawer at LFK during holidays. The temperature for rising was proper...



3. One morning folklorist M. found a note on her table: "All of hydrocyanic acid has been used. Everything is OK with R. He will not disturb you any more." M. got a bit nervous and showed the note to other colleagues. The situation was uncertain, until the author, folklorist V., arrived and explained:
a) hydrocyanic acid meant apricot stones V. had eaten because of hunger;
b) R. was OK, because V. had given him all the folklore materials he had asked for from the archives.





Selected by Baiba Meistere