‘If you know the answer and do not respond, your head will shatter into pieces!’

In a land of glorious kings, bloodthirsty demons and talking spirits, was born the lore of Vikram and the Vetal. After a series of mysterious events, King Vikramaditya carries the vetal, a witty ghost, on a long journey through death’s playground. The vetal narrates the most fascinating tales and asks the most puzzling riddles, leaving Vikram completely stumped.

An ascetic who brings his beloved back from the dead, a giant bird that journeys to the underworld to fetch the elixir of life, a servant who sacrifices his life for his ruler, and a woman too beautiful to marry a king; are some of the amazing characters that await you.

Deepa Agarwal’s beautiful translation brings age-old wisdom alive through the Vetal’s wondrous stories that are bound to confound and captivate readers even today.

About the authors:

There are no biographical details available for Śivadāsa, the author of The Five-and-Twenty Tales of the Genie. From a careful reading of the text, however, we can glean the following facts: Śivadāsa was a man of great learning. His text is often humorous and full of social commentary, making his work more than just a retelling of an ancient body of tales.

Author, poet and translator, Deepa Agarwal writes for both children and adults and has over fifty books published. She has won many prestigious awards, including the NCERT National Award for Children’s Literature in 1993. Her work has been translated into several Indian and foreign languages and five of her books have been included in the White Raven catalogue of the International Youth Library, Munich.