The Ramayana
by R.K. Narayan

Here, drawing the author's inspiration from the work of an eleventh-century Tamil poet called Kamban, Narayan has used the talents of a master novelist to recreate the excitement and joy he has found in the original. It can be enjoyed and appreciated, he suggests, for its psychological insight, its spiritual depth and its practical wisdom--or just as a thrilling tale of abduction, battle and courtship played out in a universe thronged with heroes, deities and demons.