FOLK TALES OF BENGAL

Bengali folklore constitutes a considerable portion of Bengali literature In Bengali society as with most ancient societies folk literature became a collective product It also assumes the traditions emotions thoughts and values of the community Rev Lal Behari Day was told these 22 Bengali tales by his Gammer Grethel In turn his Gammer Grandmother heard these as a little girl at the knee of her old grandmother reputed to be a good storyteller This means these stories have been told and passed down for no less than 5 generations before the author heard them which takes us back to at least AD1720 if not earlier Herein you will find stories like LIFES SECRET PHAKIR CHAND THE INDIGENT BRAHMAN THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR THE ORIGIN OF OPIUM THE MAN WHO WISHED TO BE PERFECT THE STORY OF A BRAHMADAITYA THE ORIGIN OF RUBIES and many more Originally narrated in Bengali at the behest of Richard Temple to whom this book is dedicated Rev Behari Day translated them into English for a Western audience These stories are further brought to life through the 32 color illustrations by Warrick Goble adding a welcome dimension to the stories making it easier to imagine the settings for the characters and stories contained herein Stories have also been purloined from Brahmans barbers servants and other sources We therefore have reason to believe that the stories given in this book are a genuine sample of the old old stories told by old Bengali women from age to age through a hundred generations