The Bush Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder

Product Description

"They misunderestimated me."—President George W. Bush

It seems like too easy a target, too cheap a laugh, but Mark Crispin Miller, with the deftly trenchant wit that always distinguishes his writing, uses the blunders and malapropisms of George W. Bush to make a larger point about the way in which we elect our presidents. Miller places Bush in the context of other notorious dunces-in-chief, and shows him indisputably in a league of his own. The book is a raucously funny ride—whether it's Bush envisioning "a foreign-handed foreign policy" or Miller skewering vociferous cultural conservatives like William Bennett and Lynne Cheney for their silence on Bush's particular "West Texas version of Ebonics"—but there is also a strong undercurrent of outrage. Only because our elections have become so dependent on television and its emphatic emptiness, Miller argues, can a man of such sublime and complacent ignorance assume the highest office in the land. To quote Bush himself, "It's not the way America is all about."
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #499535 in Books
* Published on: 2002-06
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 370 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Amazon.com

From Publishers Weekly
Miller, a New York University professor of media studies, has fashioned a devastating compendium of President George W. Bush's grammatical gaffes, syntactical shipwrecks, mind-boggling malapropisms and simply dumb comments. Page after page (after page) of quotations, suggests Miller, reveal that Bush is a man who, while not stupid, is prodigiously illiterate and woefully uneducated. Further, and compounding the problem, Bush could not care less about these shortcomings. How then, Miller asks, and this is his larger concern, did someone in Miller's opinion so obviously unqualified to be president convince so many voters that he was? Miller's answer is, in a word, television: Bush succeeded on TV not despite his "utter superficiality," but because his superficiality blended seamlessly with the vacuous culture of the tube. It was not simply that Bush's handlers were able to manipulate his image, attempting to construct out of his ignorance an anti-intellectual "good ole boy" persona, but that news professionals in the medium were all too willing to go along with this ploy. They went along because the pundits of TV have become, according to Miller, increasingly right-wing, thus natural Bush allies, but also because they no longer care to talk about substance, preferring instead discussion of "likability" and other attributes of pure image. While Miller is sometimes vague in his arguments, he has produced a sharp-edged polemic questioning the wisdom of how we elect our leaders. As President Bush has said, "It's not the way America is all about."

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Miller (media studies, New York Univ.; Boxed In: The Culture of TV) suggests that Americans may be suffering from a corporate form of dyslexia: "Seeing that it's all gone wrong, yet always hearing from on high that everything is perfectly all right, we each feel...as helpless and perplexed as any undiagnosed dyslexic." Miller's explanation is that George W. Bush and his handlers have mastered the use of television, highlighting the candidate's hyper-chummy style to sell their theme and message. An opening analysis compares the current President with former Presidents Bush, Nixon, and Johnson, whose images often suffered on television, then shows how the 2000 campaign used television to the candidate's advantage. Miller uses extensive quotes from campaign appearances, television interviews, and the televised debates to demonstrate how the candidate focused on canned "theme" and "message" texts while repeatedly revealing through body language and malapropisms what he may actually have been thinking. Miller makes no effort to be unbiased and is sometimes openly contemptuous, but the analysis is thoughtful and the quotes are accurate and well documented. Recommended for media studies collections. Jill Ortner, SUNY at Buffalo Libs.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Customer Reviews

Brain Damaged, Mildly Retarded or a Great Actor?3
This is a somewhat amusing outdated book that mainly quotes various statements to spew from the mouth of one G.W Bush during the first year of his presidency.

It goes without saying for me that Bush has absolutely no input as to what decisions are made but the real question in my mind is if he has brain damage from the years of drug and alcohol abuse, is he drunk or high on acid while giving interviews and speeches, is he just that dumb or is he a great actor that is intentionally playing the role of inept moron in order to create a scapegoat to divert attention away from the real controllers?

For every conservative in your house. . .5
Wonderful. A close, intimate reading of the complex tapestry that is George Bush. Recommended for evangelical Christians, Oil Company executives, and NASCAR mommies and daddies who STILL believe.

Trenchant & Observant5
When you actually listen to the things George W. Bush says, you might just wince at the barbarisms, mispronunciations of words and the poor grammar. "Misunderestimate" is one of Bush's most infamous to date. My personal favorite "Bushism" was one he made in or about 2000 in re imports. Bush actually said that "more and more of our imports are coming in from overseas." Where did he think imports were coming from, Boston? Good grief!

If nothing else, Bushisms do provide some comic relief during these times of strife and war. While I am no fan of this president and will be among the many who will call the emperor naked and his administration of the emperor's new clothing genre, I do get a kick out of some of his more outlandish comments. As for calling him an anti-intellectual, I beg to differ. I would have to say that instead of opposing intellectualism, Bush is out of the ballgame as he is certainly a far cry from an intellectual by anyone's reckoning. Gently put, he is not the brightest bulb in the lamp or the sharpest tool in the shed.

Was Bush a child who got left behind? This book includes quite a list of Bush's verbal gaffes and poorly contructed sentences. It makes you wonder why on earth the media panders to him - the emperor is naked, for Pete's sake!

This author claims Bush's verbal challenges are caused by dyslexia. His term "West Texas ebonics" actually made me laugh. Bush's barbarisms, while grimace-worthy is not necessarily a regional problem. Bush's handlers try to prep him for television and instead of focusing on issues, many times the media will throw in red herrings such as Al Gore's lack of spontaneity in his delivery and Perot's distinctive ears. For Pete's sake! What do those trivial matters have to do with pressing issues? Absolutely nothing!

It is very sad that Bush (called Dumbya by the local democrat organizations in this state) is not able to name world leaders; thinks Mexico is South America (and yes, he did say that early in the game) and expressed surprise that imports to America came in from overseas. How in the blue hell did he get to be the apple of the media's eye? He is lobbed some soft ball questions; he does not appear to be able to catch hard ball issues or grasp complex issues and questions. As for "the soft bigotry of low expectations," Dumbya is the poster child for that claim and is also the poster child of who got left behind.

In April of 2007, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada called Dumbya a naked emperor, which seems very spot on. This was in re Dumbya's kvetching about Nancy Pelosi taking time off from her job just as he was about to take some time off from "presidentin'," as his humorous alter-ego who plays him on "Saturday Night Live" says.

Miller hits the bull in the eye when he chafes against the Right's concerted efforts to make Dumbya appear to be an ordinary man for everybody. Comparing him to previous presidents is an insult; Dumbya does not appear to be anywhere near their league of intellectual depth and comprehension of issues. Representative Watts' claim that one need not be smart to be president is a sad fact in today's world; one would think that intelligence would be a job requirement.

Bush, unlike Carter, Clinton, LBJ, Lincoln, Senator John Edwards, Gerald Ford and others did not work his way up from humble beginnings. He had Affirmative Action for the Rich - in this case called "being a legacy." Having a dad who's well connected will certainly open many a door. It has been well documented that Bush was no scholar and was quite a regular attendee at campus parties. As another reviewer on the US boards notes, Dumbya wasted good opportunities at schools like Andover and Yale who most likely would never have accepted him without some string-pulling. He was spoonfed a sense of entitlement to a lavish lifestyle; constant protection and gaining admission to schools who otherwise would not have accepted him. Dumbya's comment about Buckley's having written a book and Dumbya having read one - sad comment given that during his administration, Dumbya said he didn't read and that included the news. How in the blue hell can a president dodge the news? That is a large part of the president's business!

Miller's book is crisp, well written and his trenchant comments will stay with readers long after finishing the last page. This is not just a book for those who don't care for Bush and I admit that I am one - this is a book for everybody. It is a look behind the Presidential Curtain.

Anandamath, or The Sacred Brotherhood by Bankimcandra Chatterji

Product Description

This is a translation of a historically important Bengali novel. Published in 1882, Chatterji's Anandamath helped create the atmosphere and the symbolism for the nationalist movement leading to Indian independence in 1947. It contains the famous hymn Vande Mataram ("I revere the Mother"),
which has become India's official National Song. Set in Bengal at the time of the famine of 1770, the novel reflects tensions and oppositions within Indian culture between Hindus and Muslims, ruler and ruled, indigenous people and foreign overlords, jungle and town, Aryan and non-Aryan, celibacy and
sexuality. It is both a political and a religious work. By recreating the past of Bengal, Chatterji hoped to create a new present that involved a new interpretation of the past. Julius Lipner not only provides the first complete and satisfactory English translation of this important work, but
supplies an extensive Introduction contextualizing the novel and its cultural and political history. Also included are notes offering the Bengali or Sanskrit terms for certain words, as well as explanatory notes for the specialized lay reader or scholar.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #2734479 in Books
Published on: 2005-08-23
Number of items: 1
Binding: Hardcover
336 pages
Editorial Reviews

Review
"We have waited one hundred years for this book. The last two faithful (but incomplete) translations of Bankimcandra Chatterji's classic novel were in the early 1900s and are long out of print. Lipner's translation supersedes all previous versions: his rendering of Anandamath, complete with introduction and splendid critical apparatus, will delight scholars of Indian literature, religion, and history, Bengali culture, and Hindu goddess worship. At last." -- Rachel Fell McDermott, chair of Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures Department, Barnard College

About the Author
Julius J. Lipner is Professor in Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion and Chairman of the Faculty Board of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of several books, including Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices and Brahmabandhab Upadhyay: The Life and Thought of a Revolutionary.
Customer Reviews

Excellent contextualization of an historically important novel
Those who have done a decent amount of reading on the subject of Hindu nationalism in India have very likely heard of Bankimchandra Chatterji's novel, Anandamath. This 19th century novel greatly influenced the Hindu revivalist and anti-colonial movement, which sought to rid India of British rule and, in its more extreme form, "reclaim" India for the Hindus and to subordinate the Muslim population. It is odd that, given its importance, Julius Lipner's is the first book in a century to critically examine the novel and translate it into English. As the author of this volume points out, from a literary standpoint, Chatterji's novel is nothing special--hence only a 4-star rating. The novel itself is a quick read, often boring, with (in my opinion) no real memorable characters, no capturing prose (except for the song "Bande Mataram," which became a second national anthem of sorts after India's independence), etc. It was able to capture a great many readers through it's overall message of India's "decline" and Hinduism's "degeneration" during the period of Mughal rule. This message has led to both great praise and bilious criticism of the novel, and it is to this topic that Lipner's particular volume offers great insight.

The editor of this volume writes a 100+ page introduction about the life, times, and writing of Bankimchandra Chatterji. It is both very readable and extremely informative. It discusses his upbringing and schooling in both Sanskritic and English-medium schools (which profoundly affected his outlook), his early career and writings, the historical setting of the major events of Anandamath (the book is largely about a group of Hindu ascetics who go about attacking Muslims, and is supposedly based on the 18th-century Sannyasi Rebellion that took place in Bengal), and other topics relevant to this seminal work. The author analyzes many other writings and correspondances of Chatterji, and tackles questions of historical relevance: Was Anandamath truly based on the Sannyasi Rebellion? Was Chatterji truly anti-Muslim, and/or was he a Hindu fundamentalist? Was Chatterji favorable of British rule, if it meant at least getting rid of Muslim rule? What censorship problems did Chatterji encounter when publishing Anandamath, how did they affect his writing, and what does it all mean? The analysis of these and many other important questions greatly contextualizes Chatterji's novel, and this work is absolutely essential to understanding how one novel had such a profound affect on the Indian nationalist movement, and what the author's true intentions may have been. Lipner even re-translates the title from its original "Abbey of Bliss" to "The Sacred Brotherhood," examining the language, events, and themes of the novel, concluding that there is nothing "blissful" about this novel and therefore the longstanding english translation of the title is incorrect. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially to specialists of Indian history and literature.

Sigmund Freud's: The Interpretation of Dreams (Modern Critical Interpretations)

Product Description

This edition of Modern Critical Interpretations brings together some of the best commentaries available in English on Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams. The criticisms reflect the approaches of many disciplines to Freud: philosophy, psychoanalysis, sociology, history, and literary criticism.

The title, Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams, part of Chelsea House Publishers' Modern Critical Interpretations series, presents the most important 20th-century criticism on Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams through extracts of critical essays by well-known literary critics. This collection of criticism also features a short biography on Sigmund Freud, a chronology of the author's life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #1633417 in Books
* Published on: 2000-01
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Hardcover
* 144 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Whether we love or hate Sigmund Freud, we all have to admit that he revolutionized the way we think about ourselves. Much of this revolution can be traced to The Interpretation of Dreams, the turn-of-the-century tour de force that outlined his theory of unconscious forces in the context of dream analysis. Introducing the id, the superego, and their problem child, the ego, Freud advanced scientific understanding of the mind immeasurably by exposing motivations normally invisible to our consciousness. While there's no question that his own biases and neuroses influenced his observations, the details are less important than the paradigm shift as a whole. After Freud, our interior lives became richer and vastly more mysterious.

These mysteries clearly bothered him--he went to great (often absurd) lengths to explain dream imagery in terms of childhood sexual trauma, a component of his theory jettisoned mid-century, though now popular among recovered-memory therapists. His dispassionate analyses of his own dreams are excellent studies for cognitive scientists wishing to learn how to sacrifice their vanities for the cause of learning. Freud said of the work contained in The Interpretation of Dreams, "Insight such as this falls to one's lot but once in a lifetime." One would have to feel quite fortunate to shake the world even once. --Rob Lightner

From Library Journal
This volume of essays (part of a new series) reflects a wide range of disciplines: sociology, history, literature, and philosophy. Several are works of historic importance by major thinkers, including Wittgenstein and Erikson. Others are more recent works informed by modern thinkers, most notably Lacan. Though of limited appeal to the lay reader in its assumption of a working knowledge of Freud's dream work and its failure to link the essays, the book will interest scholars, particularly those in the humanities concerned with psychoanalysis. Several essays, particularly Meredith Skura's concerning the literary use of dream interpretation, are outstanding commentaries on Freud's landmark work. Paul Hymowitz, Psychiatry Dept., Cornell Medical Ctr., New York
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From The New England Journal of Medicine, March 23, 2000
The 100th anniversary of Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams saw the publication of a new translation by Joyce Crick and a "neurophilosophical" treatise on the subject by Owen Flanagan, professor of philosophy, experimental psychology, and neurobiology at Duke University. Taken together, they beg to be read in the light of current ideas about dreams.

How far Freud has fallen in the past few decades is clearly reflected in the introduction to the new translation, written by Ritchie Robertson. No, Robertson acknowledges, Freud's theory of dreaming is not scientific; it is not falsifiable, it is embarrassingly sexual and sexist, it undervalues imagery and emotions, and it overvalues verbal repartee. Indeed, Robertson admits, "the scientific study of the mind can proceed with little reference to Freud." Still, he insists, Freud has "helped us to understand the psyche as deep, complex, and mysterious." Is his theory only of historical interest?

Freud's own review of the scientific literature of the time suggests that he has not contributed as much as we might think. The content of dreams was already seen by pre-Freudians as determined by previous experiences and as arising in what Ludwig Strumpell referred to as "almost memory-less isolation" from those experiences. Dreams were already seen as bizarre and chaotic, driven, as Freud described the theories of Wilhelm Wundt, by "internal... excitations of the sensory organs." The views of this pre-Freudian scientific community were remarkably similar to those held by neurobiologists and cognitive neuroscientists today.

What, then, did Freud add to the study of dreams? Beautiful literature, but mostly bad theory and methodology. Dreams serve to discharge pent-up energy associated with unsatisfied infantile wishes. Dream construction follows a tortured path, with the condensation of many ideas into one and the displacement of their "energies" to unrelated images, all to keep the forbidden wishes from reaching consciousness. Freud's interpretations are stunning: a woman's dream about going to Italy (gen Italien -- to Italy) reflects a hidden wish concerning genitals (Genitalien). Why? Because it is obvious. One is reminded of Plato's "proof" in the Republic that the philosopher-king leads a life that is 729 times more pleasant than that of a tyrant.

All in all, Freud's theory of dreams can probably best be described as 50 percent right and 100 percent wrong. Many of his observations about dreams (not their interpretation) are insightful. If viewed as a historical work, perhaps metaphorically, The Interpretation of Dreams can be enjoyable and thought-provoking. But those looking for a scientific explanation of dreaming had best look elsewhere. Even those seeking to use dream interpretation as a clinical tool deserve a more useful model, one more consonant with modern scientific theory. A hundred years after Freud, we seem to be back where he started.

In Dreaming Souls, Flanagan seeks to answer philosophical questions about dreaming in the light of what we know about neurobiology. Still, when he talks about dreaming, he is referring specifically to the conscious experience of dreaming, with or without subsequent recall on waking, and not to the underlying physiology of the dreaming state. Although this minimal and somewhat naive attention to physiology is disappointing, it does not make his book uninteresting. Consciousness, he proposes, evolved to solve specific problems, such as how to permit the selective allocation of limited brain resources to just one of many competing sensory inputs -- what we call "attention." What, one might ask, does consciousness offer that the underlying neurophysiology could not handle equally well? Perhaps, Flanagan seems to suggest, consciousness just happened to appear before a "mindless" physiologic alternative did, and it worked well enough. Maybe consciousness and emotions represent just one of many solutions that could have evolved to deal with these problems. Perhaps (and it is a terrifying thought) consciousness could just as easily not have evolved.

What about dreaming? This, Flanagan argues, is merely an unintended side effect of waking consciousness; evolution forgot to turn the conscious mind off at night, resulting in dreams that "neither help nor hinder fitness." For Flanagan, the neurobiologic processes underlying consciousness in both waking and sleeping states are of only passing interest and may be, in the end, unimportant. He clearly feels that cognitive processing during sleep serves no evolutionary value, a position that flies in the face of most recent research (for example, on sleep and consolidation of memory). What, then, is sleep for? Flanagan seems to fall back on an old suggestion of Allan Hobson's, that sleep merely serves to allow stockpiles of neurotransmitters in the brain to be replenished. Such an explanation woefully underestimates both the cost and the value of sleep.

Still, Flanagan provides a fascinating view of dreaming from the perspective of a modern philosopher. He presents an elegant explication of how dreams, constructed through a chaotic process without intent on the part of the dreamer, can not only still have meaning, but also be self-revealing and useful as well. Even if the experience of dreaming (as opposed to its underlying physiology) arose without evolutionary selection, he argues, it does not follow that dreams are meaningless or that dreaming is useless. Much of what we are was never selected for -- the abilities to solve partial differential equations and to write sonnets and soliloquies were not selected by evolutionary pressures. What we are and what we have evolved to be are not the same. Destiny is not biology, and dreams are not just noise produced by the sleeping brain. Flanagan's provocative commentary would make quick and enjoyable reading for anyone interested in the thoughtful study of dreaming and may yet provide the basis for a new framework for understanding what dreams mean and how they can be used: the goal of dream interpretation. But the big scientific questions remain unanswered. What is the role of sleep in cognitive and emotional processing? How do we integrate these physiologic processes with the phenomenology of dreaming? The time is ripe to address these questions.

What might answers to these questions look like? Over the past 10 to 15 years, cognitive neuroscience has proved the existence of multiple, physically distinct memory systems, including working-memory, episodic-memory, and semantic-memory systems. As a consequence, the old idea of consolidating short-term memories into long-term memories has expanded to include concepts of transferring memories from one system to another and then integrating them into complex associative networks. New research suggests that these activities may depend on sleep and might even be the main function of sleep.

Processes of memory transfer and integration occur both intentionally (through the frontal cortex) and automatically (through "self-organizing" bottom-up processes). These processes are more complex and more time-consuming than simpler forms of memory consolidation, and they appear to use the same brain regions required for sensory processing. Taken together, they beg for a state in which sensory input is blocked and conscious control of cognitive and affective processing is turned off. Although such a state would be optimal for the automatic reactivation and reprocessing of ensembles of preexisting memories, it would leave the organism dissociated from its environment and unable to interact with it safely. By adding immobility to these other conditions, sleep makes this state of "off-line" memory reprocessing both safe and effective; herein lies the evolutionary pressure for sleep.

This, perhaps, is the beginning of a theory worth consideration by neurobiologists, cognitive scientists, and philosophers alike, and the questions it raises are both important and exciting. How would the reliable changes in chemical neuromodulation that are dependent on the stage of sleep, sensory-input gating, generation of electroencephalographic waves, and regional brain activation facilitate off-line memory reprocessing? Which component parts of such a memory-reprocessing system would each sleep stage support? For example, during rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, distant and unpredictable cortical associations, but not episodic memories, appear to be preferentially activated, leading to the bizarre, symbolic, and hyperemotional narratives found in classic dreams. In contrast, during non-REM sleep, mentation is generally more linear and thoughtlike. How and why would the brain modulate memory-reprocessing systems in these ways? And, finally, what function, if any, might our conscious awareness of this reprocessing -- what we call dreaming -- serve? I hope that the answers to these questions are not too far away.

Reviewed by Robert Stickgold, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2000 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.
Customer Reviews

nice4
i did a report on this book about 11 years ago. i am still excited by the book although it is not the original more like a summary. i still enjoyed reading.

A New Translation1
This is a new translation (2006) of Freud's Interpretation of Dreams. I hope someone qualified might soon comment on the merits or significance of this new translation. Meanwhile, the Editorial Review information offered for this book comes from an earlier edition of a different translation of Freud's work, FWIW. And the second paragraph in the editorial review prelim is entirely inappropriate--it's for another book altogether.

I give Freud's book (not the translation) a low rating because it is misleading. It's not about the interpretation of dreams in general, but more specifically it's, covertly of course, about Freud's own dreams. More basically, it's about "infantile memories" he claimed dreams concealed. (For more explanation of this point, one could consult "If Freud's Theory Be True..." in Psychological Reports (1992, 70, 611-620), which would explain how Freud himself tells us his book is not about what it appears to be about.

Mahabharata by William Buck

Product Description

Few works in world literature have inspired so vast an audience, in nations with radically different languages and cultures, as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, two Sanskrit verse epics written some 2,000 years ago.
In Ramayana (written by a poet known to us as Valmiki), William Buck has retold the story of Prince Rama--with all its nobility of spirit, courtly intrigue, heroic renunciation, fierce battles, and triumph of good over evil--in a length and manner that will make the great Indian epics accessible to the contemporary reader.
The same is true for the Mahabharata--in its original Sanskrit, probably the longest Indian epic ever composed. It is the story of a dynastic struggle, between the Kurus and Pandavas, for land. In his introduction, Sanskritist B. A. van Nooten notes, "Apart from William Buck's rendition [no other English version has] been able to capture the blend of religion and martial spirit that pervades the original epic."
Presented accessibly for the general reader without compromising the spirit and lyricism of the originals, William Buck's Ramayana and Mahabharata capture the essence of the Indian cultural heritage.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #135823 in Books
Published on: 2000-11-14
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
440 pages
Editorial Reviews

Times Literary Supplement
A pleasure to read . . . Anyone interested in Indian literature should read it.

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)

About the Author
William Buck died in 1970 at the age of 37 after more than 15 years of work on the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the unfinished Harivamsa. Of the two finished books, he wrote, "My method in writing both Mahabharata and Ramayana was to begin with a literal translation from which to extract the story, and then to tell that story in an interesting way that would preserve the spirit and flavor of the original."
Customer Reviews

Buck's Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is the world's longest epic, but this version is short and sweet. Like Buck's Ramayana, it conveys the essence and spiritual energy of the original, in this case without having to read all 18 volumes. Highly recommended.
I enjoyed C. Rajagopalachari's version but vastly prefer Buck's and have recommended these to many people over the years who have been delighted with it.

Not the best version of Mahabharata to read
I would strongly recommend you to get "The Mahabharata" retold by C.Rajagopalachari. This is the best version of the Mahabhatata you can ever read!!! Please do not buy the version by William buck...

For Flavor and Sense, A Fine Introduction
I am pleased to see so many reviews of this book. I have read it several times, most recently a week ago, and though I now like it less than I first did, the first encounter was delight, and I still enjoy the warmth and energy of Buck's version. He is validated by centuries of prior writers adapting the MAHABHARATA for their audiences.

I, too, am sorry that Buck decided to make some of the changes and omissions he did, but as others have pointed out this volume is a fine way to sample the taste and sensibilities of Sanskrit literature, including its humor.

Buck was pretty good at inserting translations of key phrases, suggesting the use of aphorism throughout the epic, and he provided plenty of clues to the complexity of original. Most important, he kept the story moving along. (His RAMAYANA is an even better example of his rendering of Sanskrit epic into English story.) Like others, I would recommend this MAHABHARATA in preference to the R. K. Narayan version from Penguin, which is much more drastically condensed.

The Clay Sanskrit Library is now issuing new translations, real translations, of the MAHABHARATA in parts. I'd recommend "The Forest" for anyone seeking to get a better sense of how extensive the subplots and interspersed stories are.