Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R. K. Narayan

R. K. Narayan retells the Ramayana as an accessible prose narrative of abduction, loyalty, courtship and conflict in a world of deities and demons. Drawing on Kamban’s version, he brings the skills of a novelist to one of India’s great epics.

This shortened retelling suits readers who want to follow the story without beginning with a full-length verse translation. The Penguin Classics paperback includes an introduction by Pankaj Mishra. It offers an entry into Hindu epic literature, not a complete translation of every version of the Ramayana.

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