Pancatantra

The Pancatantra is the most famous collection of fables in India and was one of the earliest Indian books to be translated into Western languages. No other Indian work has had a greater influence on world literature, and no other collection of stories has become as popular in India itself. A significant influence on the Arabian Nights and the Fables of La Fontaine, the Pancatantra teaches the principles of good government and public policy through the medium of animal stories. Its positive attitude towards life and its advocacy of ambition, enterprise, and drive counters any preconception of passivity and other-worldliness in ancient Indian society. Patrick Olivelle presents the Pancatantra in all its complexity and rich ambivalence, examining central elements of political and moral philosophy alongside the many controversial issues surrounding its history, including its numerous versions and translations, and the reconstruction of the original text by Franklin Edgerton. This new translation vividly reveals the story-telling powers of the original author, while detailed notes illuminate aspects of ancient Indian society and religion to the non-specialist reader.

ISBN 0199555753   Volumes 1 ISBN13 9780199555758 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 191 Publisher Oxford University Press   Published in Oxford Imprint Oxford University Press   Series title Oxford World's Classics Format Paperback   Previous ISBN 9780192839886 Publication date 27 Aug 2009   Height (mm) 196 Translator Olivelle, Patrick   Width (mm) 129 DEWEY 891.23   Spine width (mm) 15 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level General Pages 256

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