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The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic Paperback – May 26, 2004

by Ramesh Menon (Author)

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The great Indian epic rendered in modern prose

India's most beloved and enduring legend, the Ramayana is widely acknowledged to be one of the world's great literary masterpieces. Still an integral part of India's cultural and religious expression, the Ramayana was originally composed by the Sanskrit poet Valmiki around 300 b.c. The epic of Prince Rama's betrayal, exile, and struggle to rescue his faithful wife, Sita, from the clutches of a demon and to reclaim his throne has profoundly affected the literature, art, and culture of South and Southeast Asia-an influence most likely unparalleled in the history of world literature, except, possibly, for the Bible.

Throughout the centuries, countless versions of the epic have been produced in numerous formats and languages. But previous English versions have been either too short to capture the magnitude of the original; too secular in presenting what is, in effect, scripture; or dry, line-by-line translations. Now novelist Ramesh Menon has rendered the tale in lyrical prose that conveys all the beauty and excitement of the original, while making this spiritual and literary classic accessible to a new generation of readers.

Print length

720 pages
Language

English
Publication date

May 26, 2004
Dimensions

5.66 x 1.23 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

0865476950
ISBN-13

978-0865476950
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A beautiful new rendering of an inexhaustible theme.” ―Peter Brook, Film and Theatre Director

“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

“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 Hinduism, Georgetown University, author of Sacred Pain and Climbing Chamundi Hill (forthcoming).

About the Author

Ramesh Menon is the author of Blue God: A Life of Krishna and The Hunt for K, a national bestseller in India. A former journalist, he lives in Kodaikanal, India.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ North Point Press; First edition (May 26, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 720 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0865476950
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0865476950
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.66 x 1.23 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #60,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #27 in Sacred Hindu Writings
- #129 in Epic Poetry (Books)
- #1,063 in Mythology & Folk Tales (Books)

Customer Reviews:
301 ratings

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5 star		84%
4 star		9%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Gaji

A Divine Epic

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2020

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The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India. The story of Rama and Sita, Hanuman and Ravana, has, is, and will be retold again and again, in the forms of poetry, prose, movies and TV shows.

Of these many renditions, this is a truly marvelous one. The author uses many ancient Sanskrit terms, most of which can be understood from context. But, for the reader who wants to understand every word, there is also a comprehensive glossary at the back. The inclusion of the terms preserves the magic of this epic, making it accessible to the English reader while leaving it rooted in its ancient origins.

Read this and for days you will be carried away to a realm where duty and love tragically dance with each other, where monkeys are the friends of men, and even among the demons, righteousness and honor can be found.

Om shanti shanti shantihi

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

STUDENT

Lyrical and compelling

Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2014

Verified Purchase

This is a beautifully written book. I urge potential readers NOT to be put off by strange names and the foreign vocabulary-think of how many odd names (certainly not in common use in contemporary culture) the fans of The Lord of the Rings had to absorb for instance. What saved that work, is precisely what saves this to my way of thinking-the writing is simple and compelling, drawing the reader into the plot of the story, and carrying him through to the end, despite the barriers presented by the names. While Tolkien, drawing on his extensive knowledge of languages, fashioned the beautiful names in his books, Menon has had to shoulder the burden of history and a culture at some remove from the English language, and accept the names as a given. Despite this, he succeeds admirably. It is a shame to let biases against strange sounding names act as a barrier to an appreciation of this timeless epic. As a fan of Tolkien-having read The Lord of the Rings many many times, I can honestly say that fans of fantasy will find this a very enjoyable read indeed.
It is of course a timeless epic from an ancient and rich civilization that still has the power to enchant and move the reader-its great age alone should be enough show that it is one of the great human epics. And here Menon's rendering is the best that I have encountered-I have read several others in English. The scenes are told very vividly, and I will be forever grateful to Menon for rekindling my imagination! In a work like this, the original, which is plainly very old, can be very difficult to transcribe for a modern audience, and other attempts have tried to circumvent this difficulty by veering into caricature, or have tried to adopt a formal and stilted prose. This is a remarkable book in the sense that strikes just the right balance-the author must have thought through these issues very carefully indeed. At any rate, he has succeeded admirably-at least for me! I can feel the events unfold in a very real way-the careful, precise, and simple use of language carries my thoughts into the heart of the events that unfold. (Isn't informality and precision the hallmark of fine writing?). As for complaints about digressions from the main plot, I find these quibbles frankly absurd. Indeed a great virtue of Menon's work is an attempt flesh the whole epic out accurately and carefully. To me, the side plots serve to situate the main events in a context that enables the reader to appreciate the beauty of this epic more fully. Those who find them boring are missing the more delicate nuances of this ancient classic. I find myself returning to the book often. I also read his two volume work on the Mahabharata. These books have rekindled in me an interest in the cultural history of the land of my birth! I would not have thought this possible before I encountered Menon's work. I have to say that I can never adequately thank him for this.

31 people found this helpful

Helpful

Elly

Breath-taking retelling of a remarkable ancient epic

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2015

Verified Purchase

A superb retelling of the Ramayana. I'm reading this book aloud to my 12-year-old daughter and she's spellbound. So am I. Some of Menon's writing is breath-taking, and the story is rich.

Because of my daughter's age, I have omitted from my read-aloud a few sentences about Ravana's sexual conduct. But kids this age love epics, and this is a great one with many classic human issues to discuss along the way. For the very best, most educational experience I recommend also reading selected cantos of Dutt's English verse condensation of the Ramayana (particularly The Tale of the Hermit's Son, the entire War Council, the four laments in the war account, and the closing canto "Sita Lost"); reading Samhita Arni's picture book "Sita's Ramayana", and viewing Nina Paley's film "Sita Sings the Blues."

25 people found this helpful

Helpful

Shaun Disch

Fantastic, beautiful, devotional. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2018

Verified Purchase

I love this story and this is my favorite version of it so far. Ramesh does the best job I've seen of making the prose beautiful and easily enjoyable. Others use 10 different names for each character so it is impossible for me to know what is going on. He could also drop a lot of the Sanskrit words and just say what he means since it IS in English, but maybe some of you enjoy it and want to eventually learn Sanskrit in which case this might be perfect for you. Not a problem at all, flipping to the glossary is probably good for burning a few calories; Ramesh might want us to get some Hot Finger Yoga in while we read.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Airedad

A good English version of the Ramayana at a very inexpensive price

Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2019

Verified Purchase

I had been looking for a copy of the Ramayana to read for myself (I worked for several years with a large group of Indians, several of whom made many references to it - in daily conversation, not work-related that is) as I had developed more than a little curiosity about it.
I haven't finished it yet - it's one of those books for which you need to read a smaller section of it and then intellectually "digest" it before continuing.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in either Indian folklore and/or history, OR with an interest in what one of my friends calls "alternative methods of retelling history." Or to anyone else - it's a very good read which will leave you thinking....

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Ramesh Ramachandra

whose easy style of language and condensation make them eminently readable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2014

Verified Purchase

For many years I have been trying to read up on Hindu scriptures, but gave up trying after a few pages because of their length and heavy prose. Until I discovered the writings of Ramesh Menon, whose easy style of language and condensation make them eminently readable. His rendition of the Ramayana is brilliant and I recommend it to anyone like me who wants to grasp the essence of Hinduism.

4 people found this helpful

Obsidian

Wonderful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2014

Verified Purchase

After reading Ramesh Menons translation of the Mahabharata and being in complete awe i thought I'd give this a go. Once again I was not disappointed. While the story isn't as strong as the Mahabharata its still an excellent story, that once again has been fantastically retold. No doubt parts of the story have been worked around so it will make sense to a foreign audience but once more mr Ramesh Menon is a master at this. Easy to read full of action romance plot twits and a healthy dose of the surreal makes for a fantastic read.

2 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Really well written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

Just stated reading. Very easy to understand. Love it

James

EPIC SPIRITUAL RETELLING OF GOD'S AVATAR RAMA

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2013

Verified Purchase

well written and beautifully retold. With over 650 pages ramesh menon really gets into the characters of the tale...I have read many versions of this sanskrit classic and I have to admit this is up there with Kamala Subramaniam's rendering. Enjoy!

One person found this helpful

Elizabeth T.

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2015

Verified Purchase

A brilliantly written version of this must-read story of good v evil. Thank you. Very pleased with the book.

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