Gods, Demons, and Others
by R. K. Narayan
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Assuming the character of a wise village storyteller, R K Narayan sits in the cool of an imaginary evening to recount the tales of the centuries.Taken from the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and other Indian epics, the gods and demons, saints and sinners assume their symbolic and philosophical roles without ever losing their human characteristics. It is a measure of the author's achievement that he so subtly imbues them with his own distinctive wit and vision.This book is illustrated throughout show more by Narayan's brother R K Laxman, with woodcuts based on temple carvings. show lessTags
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The author, Valmiki, watched rather helplessly the conclusions that the characters of his epic were working out for themselves. He had a hope that he might be able to bring his hero and heroine together, help the family reunite, and thus round off his tale. But the characters managed their affairs in their own way. At the moment when Rama was eager to take Sita back, Sita decided differently. The characters, as they would in any perfect work of art, got out of control. Valmiki let them act in their own way, watched the conclusions as an outsider, and returned to his life of contemplation.
Fifteen tales of gambling kings, loyal wives, interfering gods, marauding demons and fateful curses. These are traditional tales taken from various show more Indian epics, told as they would be by a village storyteller. show less
Fifteen tales of gambling kings, loyal wives, interfering gods, marauding demons and fateful curses. These are traditional tales taken from various show more Indian epics, told as they would be by a village storyteller. show less
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100+ Works 10,380 Members
R. K. Narayan was born Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayanaswami in Madras, India on October 10, 1906. He graduated from Maharaja College of Mysore with a B.A. degree in 1930. He attempted to teach for a bit but then switched to writing full time. His first book, Swami and Friends, was published in Britain in 1935. During his lifetime, he wrote more show more than 30 novels and hundreds of short stories. His other novels included The Bachelor of Arts, The Dark Room, The English Teacher, The Guide, The Financial Expert, The Man Eater of Malgudi, The Vendor of Sweets, and The World of Nagaraj. He was one of the first Indians to write in English and gain international recognition. He received numerous awards including the Padma Bhushan, India's highest prize. He died on May 13, 2001 at the age of 94. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- First words
- He is part and parcel of the Indian village community, which is somewhat isolated from the main stream of modern life.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Of course the cosmic arrangement, as it may be deduced from the puranas, is impressive in its variety and vastness, but it is not susceptible to being mapped on any rational basis of cartography.
- Blurbers
- Rau, Santha Rama; Klass, Rosanne
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- Languages
- English, Estonian, Italian
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 2
