Ramsay Wood

Annoying.

I think, to enjoy this, you must first be a lover of fables and morality tales, which I do not claim to be. I read this book because it was chosen for our Arabic themed book group, and I found it very difficult to get into. I was endlessly frustrated by the stories within stories structure, whereby, rather than ending a tale, the narrator begins another, and another, sometimes up to five times - before winding back down again.

I realise that this is a translation from the original Sanskrit and that it has historical and literary value. I'm not trying to denounce the book, merely to warn others with similar reading tastes to my own, that this may not be to their taste.… (altro)

A delightful collection of very old fables made surprisingly modern, intended to instruct a king on how to rule with wisdom and discretion. Many of the stories concern perceptions of friendship and trust which still ring true today. To know that this is a translation with its origin going back to Sanskrit writings (dating back to about 300 AD) makes one aware of how little our nature changes. This is easy reading but meant for adults.
I found many of these animal fables to be entertaining, if not downright funny. The format of this genre is like a maze with beginning purpose, a specific goal at the finish, and an interwoven path leading to stories within stories. It flows seamlessly – making it hard to put down but easy to pick up again.
Doris Lessing, who writes the introduction to this book, states it very well. It “…is supposed to illustrate…that in life one thing leads to another, often unexpectedly, and that one may not make neat and tidy containers for ideas and events – or hopes and possibilities – and that it is not easy to decide where anything begins or ends.”
At the end of the book is a postscript where Ramsay Wood invites the reader to re-read what was so much fun the first time around and “meditate on it at length”. Each reading promises to bring new insight.… (altro)