The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (Penguin Classics)
by R. K. Narayan
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Book Summary Information
Author: R. K. NarayanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-08-29
ISBN: 0143039679
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780143039679
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: A delightful tale of adventure and enlightenment, very well told in this shortened and accessible version by Narayan
Summary: 5 Stars
When the ten-headed Ravana takes advantage of the powers he'd won from the gods, Supreme God Vishnu decides to do something about it. Ravana can't be harmed directly by a god, so Vishnu incarnates himself as the mortal man Rama, who is born as a prince to a great king. Initially unaware of his own divine identity, he meets and falls in love with Sita, who is stolen away from him by Ravana himself after they are exiled from their kingdom due to treachery. He faces down many hazards and destroys many demons, and must in the end join forces with the race of monkey-men, in order to take vengeance and win her back.
If you haven't read this, you owe it to yourself. It's a delightful epic of intrigue and wonder, that's as well known and influential in India and many other places in the world as the Homeric tales or even the Bible have been in the West. It really ought to be more widely known. It can be read and enjoyed on many levels: as a heroic epic, as Hindu scripture, as a great romance. As it is retold in Nina Paley's brilliant Sita Sings The Blues, it is also a story of how men get all the credit as they go off on big adventures and alternate between taking women for granted and behaving jealously. There's a great story in which Rama appears to act rashly, by intervening in the sibling rivalry between monkey kings Vali and Sugreeva, and that story can be read as a vivid ancient contribution to debates on colonialism or the more recently discussed issues of "cosmopolitanism" and "multiculturalism." An excellent retelling of a fascinating epic. Highly recommended.
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