Vetaal and Vikram: Riddles of the Undead

by Gayathri Prabhu

'This riddle can end in two ways: speech and defeat, or silence and death.' Vetaal and Vikram is a playful retelling of one of India's most celebrated cycles of stories. The narrative of King Vikram and the Vetaal is located within the Kathasaritsagara, an eleventh-century Sanskrit text. The Vetaal who is neither living nor dead is a consummate storyteller, and Vikram is a listener who can neither speak nor stay silent. Together they are destined to walk a labyrinth of stories in the course of a moonless night in a cremation ground. In 1870, eleven of the Vetaal's stories were adapted to English by the famed scholar-explorer Richard Francis Burton who tailored them to his audience's gothic taste. Vetaal and Vikram is a contemporary response that includes Burton within its storytelling folds. Fantastical and delightful, this retelling dissolves the lines between speaker and listener, desire and duty, life and death.

Genres: Fiction, India, Fairy Tales

208 pages, Hardcover

Published May 19, 2020

About the author

Gayathri Prabhu is the author of four novels, a memoir, a study of B&W cinema, and a novella in prose poetry: 'Love in Seven Easy Steps' (Magic Mongrel, 2021), 'Shadow Craft: Visual Aesthetics of Black and White Hindi cinema' (Bloomsbury, 2021), 'Vetaal and Vikram' (HarperCollins, 2019), 'If I Had to Tell It Again' (HarperCollins, 2017), 'The Untitled' (Fourth Estate, HarperCollins, 2016), 'Birdswim Fishfly' (Rupa, 2006) and Maya (Indialog, 2003). She teaches literary studies at the Manipal Centre for Humanities.

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

I loved this retelling/reframing of a set of Indian stories that have been retold and reframed for centuries by Indian writers, and were then retold and reframed by Richard Burton. I have no idea how close these are to the originals, or how much that matters given that the entire premise of the book is about how stories change in the telling while changing the teller and the listener alike.

Anyway: brilliant. The stories are excellently told, with a strong queer sensibility (including trans and queer protagonists, most of them misbehaving because most people in these stories are misbehaving, but with a couple of achingly lovely moments of hope and yearning too). There's also a powerful feminist feel and the whole thing is a reminder that there are no absolutes (in the way of virtues, or morality, or much else).

There's also the interwoven story of Isabella Burton, Richard's wife, and her own storytelling and silencing of stories, which has sent me off to buy a biography of the pair of them, and in search of an older version of the Vikram-Vetaal stories.

Wonderful.

[lunataradja · Rating 5 out of 5]

it now seems completely logical that I’ve been inexplicably fixated on the idea of reading this little book for several months, as this sort of predeterminism is the very nature of curses. anyways, I’m absolutely delighted to find myself in this predicament

[Ruchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would want to rate it 3.5. the stories become slightly repetitive after some time and I am sure that's how parvati would have felt when Shiva was narrating it to her.

[Chiththarthan Nagarajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was gifted by my favourite person, who introduced me to Jayant Kaikini and Jerry Pinto. Gayathri Prabhu's Vetaal and Vikram: Riddles of the Undead made me appreciate stories I had previously watched on TV in a new light, as they never truly resonated with me until now. Gayathri Prabhu is a brilliant writer who masterfully blurs the lines between narrator, character, listener, and story. Her storytelling kept me hooked on tales I thought I knew.

P.S. This book should be read by anyone who wants to learn about storytelling craft. It doesn't matter whether you've read the story, know it from somewhere, or watched it earlier - Gayathri's retelling will blow your mind.

"How does one narrate a tale that has neither beginning nor end, that remains neither said nor unsaid, that has as many tellers as it does listeners, that folds into itself so maany times that an atom seems as expansive as the cosmos?
One does not.
One lets the story find its own way, as this has for centuries.
Or one tells the story by listening."

Gayathri Prabhu, Vetaal and Vikram: Riddles of the Undead

[Sneha · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who grew up watching Vikram and Vetaal, this book felt like a beautiful throwback to childhood. I have only know that an attendant eardrops the stories when lord mahadev narrating the stories to Devi Parvati.
But have no idea about how they reached to us. The beginning is quite slow & it's takes time to get into the old tales.. It's really fascinating to know the whole history of Vetaal & Vikram. Gayathri’s retelling is truly impressive as she brings a fresh twist to these age old tales while keeping their essence intact. It’s a wonderful mix of nostalgia, imagination, and storytelling brilliance.

[tree · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Very entertaining and interesting stories and riddles. Plus we got to know about the entire history of Vikram and Vetaal.

[Yash Rathor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories in the novel are quite enjoyable.

[Kidliomag · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard and watched so many stories in my childhood about Vikram and Vetaal so I'm really excited to read this book but someway this book is not met my expectations though some stories are really good and have essence of ancient time but I took around 10days to complete it because starting is really slow and It takes time to gel into the old tales how Vikram and Vetaal met and how their journey started.The way of storytelling is bit unique and interesting,I really liked some stories and the riddle at the end of the story.overall a nice read.

[Dilip Chauhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Decent read.
Has some dark stories.
each ends with the riddles which will question your moral beliefs.
writing is simple and easy to read.
over all quick good read.
P.S - review copy provided from Harpercollins

[Tina Sah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a throwback to my childhood, reading this book! Remembered these two characters from the tv serial on dd. The origin of the story as given in this book is a bit unclear but a new thing to know. The Burton's angle add a dimension to the story which seems in recent past. Overall a good read.

[Ajay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt good to relive childhood....