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The Lady Who Died One and a Half Times and Other Fantasies
A collection of stories reconstructed from the Panchatantra, the Jatakas and the Kathasaritsagara. combines satire, fantasy, lovely set of writings, informative and fun reading
Paperback
Published January 1, 2003
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About the author
Manoj Das
109 books90 followersManoj Das, a prolific author, is among India's foremost short story writers. He writes both in Oriya (Odia) and English, and is a Professor of English at the Sri Aurobindo International University, Pondicherry.
Manoj Das was born in a small coastal village named Shankari in Balasore district, Orissa State. Since 1963, he has been an ashramite at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. He is presently concentrating on writing novels.
Manoj Das is perhaps the foremost bilingual Oriya writer and a master of dramatic expression both in his English and Oriya short stories and novels. He says that:
Manoj Das was born in a small coastal village named Shankari in Balasore district, Orissa State. Since 1963, he has been an ashramite at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. He is presently concentrating on writing novels.
Manoj Das is perhaps the foremost bilingual Oriya writer and a master of dramatic expression both in his English and Oriya short stories and novels. He says that:
"Characters follow the theme of a story, and the words are merely added by author to represent the thoughts of the character."That is the precise reason why Das's characters in fiction are from so many varied backgrounds, and display many different dimensions of human nature. He is a philosopher, a thinker-writer whose works can be defined as a quest for finding the eternal truth in everyday situations.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 16, 2021
4.5 ⭐️
The lady who died one & half times and other fantasies' written originally in Odia by Manoj Das & later translated to English by the author himself is a fascinating collection of folktales which sets no barriers for both children & adults. These mystic tales are more of a continuation to the stories we had read/heard as a child in Jaataka tales & Panchatantra books.
The savant Samanta & his desciple Abolkara ambles around forests, visit various places they come across & sojourn at eminent sage houses. In their journey, Guru Samanta answers the queries asked by insistent Abolkara with relevant stories.
The story of the last ever demoness on the mother earth married to a mortal ; the tale behind why lion's skin is used as a rug by sages to sit on ; a greedy sage who misused his powers which can shower jewels from the sky; the test of fertility for an old man who married a young lady of sixteen years; and how come a lady could die one & half times ?!.
The story of a stupid monkey, a royal servant who was lured to the greed of the king's throne; a story of the tiger who waits for a traveller about to cross the pond to throw a puzzle & win over him for its own purpose. I liked this story of an extremely satirical attack on political scenario in our country using a forest & it's habitants. A couple of stories are very much known but whose charm is never lost with a re-read- thus showcasing the prowess of our folklore. Strolling us back to the nostalgic lanes of childhood, all these stories seems a continuation to either Jataka or Panchantrara tales giving a proper prolonged & meaningful endings.
The last novella ' Sharma & the Wonder lump' is a magnificent piece of experimental work addressing many issues which are relevant till date. The only story in the collection which seems not a perfect folktale & also starts a bit wierd too. Sharma has a tumour on his head & he goes to the USA for surgery. The lump which looks like a crown on his head not only in the shape but also it is one of its kind in the history of medical sciences. This follows the interesting & exhausting journey of Sharma in the foreign country carrying a foreign uneccesary load on his head. There are many take aways from this mere 45 pages story but deftly mirrors the manipulative streaks of mankind.
With a rich prose & translation done by the author himself, it is absolutely seemless. Hence this eclectic collection of stories & fables which were both enchanting & fascinating turned out to be a refreshing read.
The lady who died one & half times and other fantasies' written originally in Odia by Manoj Das & later translated to English by the author himself is a fascinating collection of folktales which sets no barriers for both children & adults. These mystic tales are more of a continuation to the stories we had read/heard as a child in Jaataka tales & Panchatantra books.
The savant Samanta & his desciple Abolkara ambles around forests, visit various places they come across & sojourn at eminent sage houses. In their journey, Guru Samanta answers the queries asked by insistent Abolkara with relevant stories.
The story of the last ever demoness on the mother earth married to a mortal ; the tale behind why lion's skin is used as a rug by sages to sit on ; a greedy sage who misused his powers which can shower jewels from the sky; the test of fertility for an old man who married a young lady of sixteen years; and how come a lady could die one & half times ?!.
The story of a stupid monkey, a royal servant who was lured to the greed of the king's throne; a story of the tiger who waits for a traveller about to cross the pond to throw a puzzle & win over him for its own purpose. I liked this story of an extremely satirical attack on political scenario in our country using a forest & it's habitants. A couple of stories are very much known but whose charm is never lost with a re-read- thus showcasing the prowess of our folklore. Strolling us back to the nostalgic lanes of childhood, all these stories seems a continuation to either Jataka or Panchantrara tales giving a proper prolonged & meaningful endings.
The last novella ' Sharma & the Wonder lump' is a magnificent piece of experimental work addressing many issues which are relevant till date. The only story in the collection which seems not a perfect folktale & also starts a bit wierd too. Sharma has a tumour on his head & he goes to the USA for surgery. The lump which looks like a crown on his head not only in the shape but also it is one of its kind in the history of medical sciences. This follows the interesting & exhausting journey of Sharma in the foreign country carrying a foreign uneccesary load on his head. There are many take aways from this mere 45 pages story but deftly mirrors the manipulative streaks of mankind.
With a rich prose & translation done by the author himself, it is absolutely seemless. Hence this eclectic collection of stories & fables which were both enchanting & fascinating turned out to be a refreshing read.
December 25, 2022
A wonderful collection of stories; Manoj Das is a master storyteller.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews