Book review
From the impish to the brilliantly comic, Vikram Seth’s animal fables in verse can (like Diwali sweets) be enjoyed by young and old alike. Familiar characters in a new and magical form, such as the greedy crocodile who was outwitted by the monkey or the steady tortoise who out-ran the hare, here take their place beside a newly minted gallery of characters and creatures who are quirky, comical and always fun. Of the ten fables told here, two come from India, two from China, two from Greece, two from the Ukraine, and two, as the author puts it, “came directly to me from the land of Gup.” This is a book that displays the astonishing versatility of the poet who gave us The Golden Gate and All You who Sleep Tonight. The flair and delight of Beastly Tales from Here and There is proof that Vikram Seth can try on the most unusual clothes without in the least losing his unique poetic identity.


Hardcover | 96 pages |


About the author Vikram Seth was born in 1952. He trained as an economist and has lived for several years each in England, California, China and India. He is the author of The Golden Gate: A Novel in Verse, From Heaven Lake: Travels though Sinkiang and Tibet, A Suitable Boy, An Equal Music, Arion and the Dolphin (a libretto), Three Chinese Poets (translations) and four volumes of poetry, including Beastly Tales from Here and There