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The Ramayana

A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic

North Point Press, May 2004
ISBN: 978-0-86547-695-0, ISBN10: 0-86547-695-0,
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 720 pages, Glossary,
Trade Paperback, $19.00

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Categories and Subcategories

See All Categories Asian & Asian American Studies Asian & Asian American Studies - All Titles Classics Classics - All Titles First-Year Reading First-Year Reading - All Titles Literature World: Asia & Australia Religion Religion - All Titles

From Ramesh Menon, a bestselling Indian novelist, comes The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic—a work already deemed by many the finest and most comprehensive single-volume edition of this classic available in English.

India's most beloved and enduring legend, the Ramayana ranks among the world's great literary masterpieces; an integral part of India's cultural expression and religious thought, the epic was originally composed around 300 B.C. It presents the multi-year (if not multi-generational) saga of Prince Rama's betrayal, exile, and struggles to rescue his faithful wife, Sita, from the clutches of a demon and to reclaim his throne. In Menon's generous and engaging new version of the Ramayana, we find a tale told in lyrical, readable, and evocative prose conveying all the beauty and excitement of the original.

Praise

"This is a beautifully re-told Ramayana. Menon finds the perfect balance of detail and narrative excitement. It's the best single-volume version of the Ramayana."—Ariel Glucklich, Associate Professor of Religion, Georgetown University

"Reverent, lyrical, and engaging, Menon's retelling is an impressive addition to the voluminous lore—oral, written, and performed—that collectively comprises the Rama story tradition of India and Southeast Asia. Combining the basic narrative of the ancient Sanskrit epic of Valmiki with strands from medieval devotional versions and hints of Western epic, folktale, and scripture, it brings this great story to life once more for an English-language audience."—Philip Lutgendorf, Associate Professor of Hindi and Modern Indian Studies, University of Iowa

"One of the ancient world's great verse epics is retold in energetic English prose in this sparkling volume, the work of an obviously accomplished Indian novelist and journalist . . . The characterizations of heroic Rama, stoical Sita, Rama's stalwart brother Lakshmana, and especially the satanic Ravana are unusually full, complex, and preternaturally vivid. A masterpiece made new for a generation of readers who ought to be very grateful indeed to Menon."—Kirkus Reviews

"A beautiful new rendering of an inexhaustible theme."—Peter Brook

About the Author(s)

Ramesh Menon

Ramesh Menon is the author of Blue God: A Life of Krishna and of the novel The Hunt for K, which was a bestseller in India. He lives in Kodaikanal, India.