Folk Tales of Bengal

About this book

Seven mothers share a secret, a monster lurks behind a beautiful appearance, and a clever child survives by seeing what the powerful have overlooked. Lal Behari Day gathers Bengal's spoken tales into a lively world of danger and impossible bargains.

The stories feature rakshasas, ghosts, kings, village families and journeys through enchanted country. Day recorded and reshaped material familiar to Bengali storytellers, retaining turns of plot that can be startlingly abrupt. The collection makes room for cruelty, sly humour and the practical intelligence of those who triumph without rank or wealth. Its most fantastic episodes often begin in an ordinary household.