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Once Upon an Elephant
 
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Once Upon an Elephant (Paperback)

by Ashok Mathur (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 216 pages
  • Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press (1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1551520583
  • ISBN-13: 978-1551520582
  • Product Dimensions: 22.7 x 13.9 x 1.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 2,228,495 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From the Author

An explication of the novel...
The sub-title of this humour/courtroom-drama/political story is "a down-to-earth tale of Ganesh and what happens when worlds collide," which is an apt description of this novel. I was interested in the creation story of Ganesh, the Hindu deity who is re-created when his father, Shiva, cuts off his head and replaces it with that of an elephant. What, I began to wonder, would happen if that particular series of events recurred in a contemporary world? The first thing that came to mind was that there would be this elephant body and human head to contend with which would, undoubtedly, lead the police to suspect a homicide. So that was the basis of the novel. Through the course of events, ultra-conservative Judge McEchern has to deal with a carnival-like atmosphere in his court when Ganesh, in his form as Vighnesvara, lord of obstacles, appears to testify -- but is only visible to the crotchety old judge. The story is really about unsettling assumptions about race, sexuality, and a whole host of circumstances that affect our lives in a contemporary world.

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Classic indian mythology hilariously revisited., 15 Jan 1999
By A Customer
Author Ashok Mathur revisits the mythology surrounding the birth of Ganesh, the Hindu God portrayed as a human with an elephant head. The story is told in the guise of a contemporary mystery with Ganesh himself as both murderer and victim. As the tale unravels, the reader is continuously transported between the mythology and the current events that have lead to the investigation. Mathur's induction of the tale into contemporary time is what makes the story both fascinating and hilarious. His clever use of recent past events, namely the miracle of the milk-drinking Ganesh statues amongst indian communities all over the world, brings the reader even closer to the story than if we had not already been given a taste of such phenomena. The investigation of the alleged crime is a self-reflexive comical romp in which neither traditional social mores or cultural differences are spared. I enjoyed the author's manipulation of the tale immensely, laughed uproariously, and would recommend it to all readers.
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