A seth who lends money by mortgaging the borrower's next birth or a bride who after the marriage discovers her husband is actually a woman, stories of legendary Rajasthani folk writer Vijaydan Detha are translated into English in new book, "The Garden of Tales".
The book, translated by Vishes Kothari, draws the reader into the complex and quirky world of the common folk of Rajasthan, while bringing alive the magic of folklore and fable.
It is published by Harper Perennial.
"My own point of entry into Detha's world has been from the world of oral literature. . . This world is set in timescales that are immediate and yet eternal, and in spaces that are limited to the village and the lake just outside but at the same time, cosmic.
"I have translated this world with an intuition that has been guided by intimacy, fondness and assertion. I hope these stories can help readers make sense of this world I share with Detha, and perhaps, of their own worlds," writes Kothari, whose previous translations of Detha's stories was titled, "Timeless Tales from Marwar" (2020).
Born on September 1, 1926, Detha, fondly known as 'Biji' in the literary world, spent decades of his life collecting folk stories from in and around his village Borunda and retelling them.
Nominated for Nobel prize for literature in 2006, he has received national and international acclaim, including Padma Shri, Rajasthan Ratna Award and Sahitya Akademi Award.
His timeless classics have been adapted into major plays and movies, such as "Duvidha", "Charandas Chor" and "Paheli".
According to the publishers, Detha's tales, while being about the rich and poor, the saint and sinner, are also populated by trees, animals, the wind and the rain, gods and goddesses, and even ghosts.
"And between them, they explore humanity in all its myriad manifestations: love and desire, innocence and cunning, wisdom and folly, greed and deceit, righteousness, valour and the illusion of power," they explained.
"The Garden of Tales", priced at Rs 368, is available for sale across online and offline stores.
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