Ramayana: Retold by William Buck

By William Buck

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9388292731
• ISBN13: 9789388292733
• Release Date: July 2019
• Publisher: Aleph Book Copany
• Length: 391 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.0" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

If I were Rama, William Buck could be my press agent.

William Buck’s *Ramayana* doesn’t just retell—it reanimates. In his voice, the ancient becomes intimate, and the metaphysical facets of this epic tale shimmer with renewed clarity. Rama’s journey with his brother unfolds as more than heroic adventure: it becomes an allegory of growth, an awakening to the pulse of nature and the resonance of the soul. Along the way, challenges—some divine, others disturbingly human—test not just courage, but comprehension. If you are familiar with Joseph Campbell, then you will recognize his “Hero's Journey. Among the most striking figures is Hanuman (the son of the wind god, Vayu), who humbly declares, “I am only a monkey and do not know any better.” At first glance, it’s a statement of limitation. But Buck reveals it as a paradox: if Hanuman recognizes his ignorance, isn’t that the gateway to deeper knowing? Hanuman's moment of self-doubt, met with gentle admonishment, becomes a spiritual pivot, suggesting that awareness itself is no excuse for retreat, but a call to responsibility. Then there’s the ten-headed Ravana, too easily dismissed as the antagonist. Buck presents him not as a cardboard villain but as a tragic emblem of a world where moral clarity isn’t binary. Ravana knows his role in the cosmic play—he is essential, though branded “evil.” That awareness lends the story gravitas, blurring lines between righteousness and necessity. The illustrations by Shirley Triest offer quiet commentary. With simple shading and delicate lines, they enrich without intruding—visual whispers that stay respectfully behind Buck’s language. My path to this version was circuitous—Jamake Highwater’s *Rama* came first, and confused more than it clarified. But Buck’s narrative delivered what others couldn’t: a story where enlightenment resides not in the lofty, but in the ordinary phrases of monkeys and kings alike. Now, with the audio recording in hand, the next epic awaits: *The Mahabharata*. Postscript: While reading Buck’s Ramayana, I couldn’t help but think of our household cat. During one particularly devotional bout—head-butting, pummeling, and delivering unsanctioned paw-blessings—I heard his essence ring clear: “I am a cat, and that is what I do.” Hanuman-like in spirit, less so in aim, he embodies the curious duality of mischief and loyalty. Should Buck ever rewrite the epic from a feline lens, I have just the muse.