The Ramayana - Softcover

9780143418054: The Ramayana
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
One of the world’s oldest and best-loved tales, now retold and illustrated in thrilling detail for readers of all ages.

Ramayana—an unforgettable tale of love, adventure, divinity, and flying monkeys—has been treasured by readers around the world for thousands of years. Now in an authoritative, gripping retelling by the renowned Ramayana scholar Arshia Sattar, readers have a new chance to explore this classic’s riches.

Rama is a brave young prince who is exiled by his stepmother. His brother and his wife, the beautiful princess Sita, loyally follow him into the depths of the mysterious forest, where they encounter strange and dangerous creatures. None is as terrifying as Ravana, the ten-headed demon king who kidnaps Sita and takes her to a fortified city in the middle of the ocean. To rescue her, Rama enlists the help of hundreds of thousands of magical monkeys and bears to fight the demon army and win her back. Even the gods gather to witness the harrowing battle. Will Rama and his friends prevail, and will Sita return to him? Only these captivating pages will tell....

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:
Arshia Sattar has a PhD in classical Indian literatures from the University of Chicago. Her translations from Sanskrit, The Ramayana of Valmiki and Tales from the Kathasaritsagara, have been published as Penguin Classics. She has also written books for children, including Adventures With Hanuman and Ramayana: An Illustrated Retelling.

Sonali Zohra studied fine art and photography and applies the principles of both to her work. From murals to illustration on ceramic, communication design, photography and illustration for books, whatever the medium, she tries to strike a balance between color, form and light.
Review:
Praise for the Indian Edition:

The Ramayana for Children is illustrated beautifully by Sonali Zohra.... Sattar delves beautifully into the vulnerabilities of what is made out to be an uptight character. It shows the depth of her scholarship and her intimacy with the subject.... With this book, she neatly scoops up Valmiki’s entire magnum opus and presents it in a bite-sized work. Okay, at 200+ pages, it isn’t bite-sized but Sattar’s easy language makes for a very smooth read.... Sattar’s narrative is magical. Her characters come alive in one’s imagination and on the pages with Zohra’s gorgeous centrefold illustrations. I must admit to poring over those drawings more than once. Like Zohra’s deft strokes, Sattar too paints her plot in child-friendly colours.”

    —Urmi Chanda-Vaz, Scroll.In

“Somehow in this modern English translation of Valmiki’s text the story reads beautifully without any glitches, without any of those annoyingly forced attempts at putting down a living text in words. Instead what comes through is the incredible manner in which Arshia Sattar to retell these age-old stories but in the true spirit of a storyteller who is herself in sync with the stories. She has made it her own and made it available to a new generation of readers.... Ramayana for Children has been beautifully illustrated with double-page spreads by Sonali Zohra. There is something grungy-funky with the almost wood-cut like impressions that are very appealing.  The illustrations complement the text well too.... A magnificent gift for children — to read, to treasure.”

    —Jaya Bhattacharji Rose, Confessions of an Avid Bibliophile

“The story of Rama and the Ramayana is so powerful and so well-loved that many writers have written about it repeatedly over the centuries. And many narrations have been created for children. But none that adhere faithfully to the oldest version of Rama’s story: Valmiki’s Ramayana, composed in Sanskrit about 2500 years ago. Arshia Sattar is the best known translator of Valmiki’s Ramayana. Her translation has never been out of print since it was published in 1986 and has been reprinted countless times. Now she distills 30 years of working with the great classic into an elegant and beautifully illustrated edition. This book is the closest a child can get to the classic Sanskrit text.”

    —Scoop Whoop News

“Arshia Sattar’s retelling of the Ramayana is a rare triumph.... Ramayana for Children is a beautifully written book based on the Indian epic Ramayana which was originally written by Valmiki. Though it has been rewritten many times over the years, Arshia Sattar’s retelling of the tale is refreshing, stimulating and completely faithful to Valmiki’s script at the same time. The presentation of Rama as a human being is truly inspiring. Arshia Sattar’s credentials are impeccable. An award-winning author, an academic, a translator.... the best part is the way Arshia Sattar has presented the story with her magical words.... The illustrations in this book are used outstandingly well. They assist you in imagining the unimaginable with a dazzling crystallisation of characters and events.... Arshia Sattar is an accomplished author who builds her characters from inside out. She is less interested in describing the physical aspects of her characters and more in giving us a glance into their flickering selves within. Strong characterisation is one of the reasons that a reader will develop a close attachment to those in this book.... She takes you on a journey across hills and mountains and rivers and oceans to a land where the characters come to life and you begin to live with them. She has the ability to make everyone sound so true and alive that you begin to feel their happiness and pain, their joy and sorrow, and their disappointment, anger and despair. It is a journey that you live only to want to experience it again. And though the ending is not happy, not in the clichéd sense at least, it will leave the reader wanting more.”

    —Ravi Subramanian, Open Magazine

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherPenguin
  • Publication date2012
  • ISBN 10 014341805X
  • ISBN 13 9780143418054
  • BindingPaperback
  • Rating

(No Available Copies)

Search Books:



Create a Want

If you know the book but cannot find it on AbeBooks, we can automatically search for it on your behalf as new inventory is added. If it is added to AbeBooks by one of our member booksellers, we will notify you!

Create a Want

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780956605191: Ramayana

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780956605191
Publisher: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Europe Ltd, 2012
Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace