Born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1954, Xavier Romero-Frias is the foremost authority in the anthropology of the Maldives. He lived in the Maldive Islands between 1979 and 1991 studying the oral traditions and other folk expressions, like arts and crafts.
Born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1954, Xavier Romero-Frias is the foremost authority in the anthropology of the Maldives. He lived in the Maldive Islands between 1979 and 1991 studying the oral traditions and other folk expressions, like arts and crafts. Fluent in the language of the Maldives, including dialectal forms, Dr Romero-Frias is considered the world’s leading non-Maldivian expert in the Maldivian language. In addition, as part of his work with Maldivian folklore, he carried out research on the ancient Divehi scripts. He is also a talented artist whose work has been exhibited in public and used to illustrate several books. In 1999 he published a monograph on the ethnography and the oral tradition of Maldives, the bulk of which has been personally recorded by him.
Books by this author
Folk Tales of the Maldives
This selection of 80 traditional short stories and legends from the vast Maldivian oral tradition - the first of its kind - offers a unique insight into the history, culture and beliefs of the Maldivians and into the world they live in. Of great interest not only to scholars but also would-be travellers.