- Joined
- May 14, 2005
- Messages
- 12,862
- Reaction score
- 2,846
- Location
- A Small Town in Germany
- Website
- www.sharonmaas.co.uk
Hello everyone!
Yesterday I made the decision to self-publish a book that has been a couple of decades in the making - Sons of Gods: the Mahabharata retold.
The Mahabharata, some of you may know, is the great Indian epic dating back thousands of years. The original Sanskrit work is several thousand pages long, making it the longest story ever written, but never fear - my version is the length of a novel.
I first read the Mahabharata in 1973, In India. It was the first and only book that kept me awake all night, reading. That edition was a huge fat book written by an Indian woman whose writing was atrocious: it was more suited for a ten year old, but the STORY kept me turning the pages.
After that, I set out on a mission to find a perfect Mahabharata. I read several versions, but there was something wrong with all of them. They were either dead boring, or badly written, or preachy, or scholarly, or too many Indian references, or something.
The best I found was the William Buck version, published by the University of California. His language is exquisite; but again, the story falls short. He does not have a clear storyline; he brings in lots of superfluous side stories, goes off on long tangents; and he left out several scenes I found vital to the main story. It's more on an academic work. So I had to dismiss that as well.
Long story short - sometime in the 70's I began writing my own version. I wrote a first draft, then put it away, pulled it out again. Sometimes it stayed hidden for several years. I typed it onto a PC in the late 90's. And kept working on it. Again and again; it was a labour of love. Maybe I was afraid of ever seeing it published; maybe I was afraid that my version, too, was not perfect. I kept thinking that someone else would get there before me, write a perfect version. But they haven't. And it won't ever happen, of course; perfection in writing just doesn't exist!
Yesterday I had a look at amazon.com and co.uk. I see that still, the only readable version is William Buck's - but even he is unreadable for "normal" reders who want a good story; he's far too literary. It's very high-brow, and ultimately boring. There are a few three-volume editions, but these are mostly direct translations and again unreadable for non-scholars. And expensive.
I wanted a short, readable, and exciting version that would be read by two groups of people: Hindus living in the West who speak English but are losing touch with this fabulous epic, which is the background of their cultural roots. I wanted them to be as fascinated as I first was, and connect back to that ancient culture.
And, I wanted non-Hindus, mainstream readers who just love a good read, to find and love it as well. This is just a great story and it's a pity that most Western readers simply don't know it - it's a part of world cultural heritage! So my aim was to make thie book first of all readable.
I did that by applying the techniques of novel-writing. I carved out a distinct storyline, made some changes for the sake of story, and kept the focus straight.
Now, I know that the work that I have will be eagerly read by Hindus, of which there are a couple million living in the West. I just want to know how someone not familiar with this culture and its myths, who haven't heard of these characters before, will react. Even when I read it the first time I had heard this and that story ffrom it, and was kindly disposed towards the culture. What's it like for a stranger? Will you find the story as great as I did, or will it leave you cold?
Here's a short synopsis:
Kunti, a princess of ancient India, bears a son, Karna, to the Sun God, Surya, and places it in a casket on the river. Later, Kunti marries a great king and has five other sons by five other gods, who grow up to be great heroes. However, their kingly house is split by rivarly when an evil cousin tries to become king. Karna returns, not knowing his true lineage, and sides with the evil prince, becoming his greatest friend and adviser. The royal house splits into two, the climax of the story being a civil war, with Karna fighting against his own half-brothers.
In the traditional version, Karna is merely a minor character, an underdog. I love him so much that I've focussed on him and made him the anti-hero, a good man fighting on the wrong side for the right reasons.
That's a very dry summary; in fact, it's all very Indian, flowery and emotional; I've tried to keep that element alive. It's also quite funny in parts, with a woman changing sex with a male goblin, the "good" champion becomg a eunuch for a year, five princes sharing one wife, magical weapons the equivalent of an atom bomb, and all kinds of quirky stuff.
If you're a Chirstian, you needn't be afraid of the "heathen" element - think of it as a fantasy story, perhaps, or mythology. I want as many non-Hindu trial readers as possible, just to find out: does this work for you?
Since this story stands as it is, you need not do a critique or look for flaws, except obvious typos etc. I only want to know if it works for Westerners. If it makes you keep turning the pages. Please be honest - if you can't read past page 1, then let me know! If it doesn't work for too many of you I'm going to focus on Indian readers alone; I have ways of reaching them.
I once pitched the story to my ex-agent, who said it was "unsaleable". I don't believe her; I think Hindus will be delighted with it but I don't think a normal Western publisher will be convinced; I want to prove it first, which is why I want to publish via Lulu.
I am going to use a pen name, Aruna Dasi, for this work. That's because my target readership probably won't believe that a non-Indian can get their beloved book right. But I know I can.
If you want to read the Word document (which is right now going through a new revision) please pm me your email address and I'll send. It's 100000 words.
Thanks to all my future guinea-pigs! And I'll be happy to return the favour.
Yesterday I made the decision to self-publish a book that has been a couple of decades in the making - Sons of Gods: the Mahabharata retold.
The Mahabharata, some of you may know, is the great Indian epic dating back thousands of years. The original Sanskrit work is several thousand pages long, making it the longest story ever written, but never fear - my version is the length of a novel.
I first read the Mahabharata in 1973, In India. It was the first and only book that kept me awake all night, reading. That edition was a huge fat book written by an Indian woman whose writing was atrocious: it was more suited for a ten year old, but the STORY kept me turning the pages.
After that, I set out on a mission to find a perfect Mahabharata. I read several versions, but there was something wrong with all of them. They were either dead boring, or badly written, or preachy, or scholarly, or too many Indian references, or something.
The best I found was the William Buck version, published by the University of California. His language is exquisite; but again, the story falls short. He does not have a clear storyline; he brings in lots of superfluous side stories, goes off on long tangents; and he left out several scenes I found vital to the main story. It's more on an academic work. So I had to dismiss that as well.
Long story short - sometime in the 70's I began writing my own version. I wrote a first draft, then put it away, pulled it out again. Sometimes it stayed hidden for several years. I typed it onto a PC in the late 90's. And kept working on it. Again and again; it was a labour of love. Maybe I was afraid of ever seeing it published; maybe I was afraid that my version, too, was not perfect. I kept thinking that someone else would get there before me, write a perfect version. But they haven't. And it won't ever happen, of course; perfection in writing just doesn't exist!
Yesterday I had a look at amazon.com and co.uk. I see that still, the only readable version is William Buck's - but even he is unreadable for "normal" reders who want a good story; he's far too literary. It's very high-brow, and ultimately boring. There are a few three-volume editions, but these are mostly direct translations and again unreadable for non-scholars. And expensive.
I wanted a short, readable, and exciting version that would be read by two groups of people: Hindus living in the West who speak English but are losing touch with this fabulous epic, which is the background of their cultural roots. I wanted them to be as fascinated as I first was, and connect back to that ancient culture.
And, I wanted non-Hindus, mainstream readers who just love a good read, to find and love it as well. This is just a great story and it's a pity that most Western readers simply don't know it - it's a part of world cultural heritage! So my aim was to make thie book first of all readable.
I did that by applying the techniques of novel-writing. I carved out a distinct storyline, made some changes for the sake of story, and kept the focus straight.
Now, I know that the work that I have will be eagerly read by Hindus, of which there are a couple million living in the West. I just want to know how someone not familiar with this culture and its myths, who haven't heard of these characters before, will react. Even when I read it the first time I had heard this and that story ffrom it, and was kindly disposed towards the culture. What's it like for a stranger? Will you find the story as great as I did, or will it leave you cold?
Here's a short synopsis:
Kunti, a princess of ancient India, bears a son, Karna, to the Sun God, Surya, and places it in a casket on the river. Later, Kunti marries a great king and has five other sons by five other gods, who grow up to be great heroes. However, their kingly house is split by rivarly when an evil cousin tries to become king. Karna returns, not knowing his true lineage, and sides with the evil prince, becoming his greatest friend and adviser. The royal house splits into two, the climax of the story being a civil war, with Karna fighting against his own half-brothers.
In the traditional version, Karna is merely a minor character, an underdog. I love him so much that I've focussed on him and made him the anti-hero, a good man fighting on the wrong side for the right reasons.
That's a very dry summary; in fact, it's all very Indian, flowery and emotional; I've tried to keep that element alive. It's also quite funny in parts, with a woman changing sex with a male goblin, the "good" champion becomg a eunuch for a year, five princes sharing one wife, magical weapons the equivalent of an atom bomb, and all kinds of quirky stuff.
If you're a Chirstian, you needn't be afraid of the "heathen" element - think of it as a fantasy story, perhaps, or mythology. I want as many non-Hindu trial readers as possible, just to find out: does this work for you?
Since this story stands as it is, you need not do a critique or look for flaws, except obvious typos etc. I only want to know if it works for Westerners. If it makes you keep turning the pages. Please be honest - if you can't read past page 1, then let me know! If it doesn't work for too many of you I'm going to focus on Indian readers alone; I have ways of reaching them.
I once pitched the story to my ex-agent, who said it was "unsaleable". I don't believe her; I think Hindus will be delighted with it but I don't think a normal Western publisher will be convinced; I want to prove it first, which is why I want to publish via Lulu.
I am going to use a pen name, Aruna Dasi, for this work. That's because my target readership probably won't believe that a non-Indian can get their beloved book right. But I know I can.
If you want to read the Word document (which is right now going through a new revision) please pm me your email address and I'll send. It's 100000 words.
Thanks to all my future guinea-pigs! And I'll be happy to return the favour.
Last edited:
