Once upon an Elephant: A Down to Earth Tale of Ganesh and What Happens When Worlds Collide - Softcover

Mathur, Ashok

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1551520583 ISBN 13: 9781551520582

Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Pr Ltd, 1999

Synopsis

"Once Upon an Elephant" is a contemporary tale of Hindu deity Ganesh and what happens when worlds, cultures, and stories collide. A whimsical, contemporary retelling of the creation story of Ganesh?the elephant-headed Hindu deity?"Once Upon an Elephant" is rife with humour and political satire. When the police find unusual boy parts?a young man's head and an elephant's body?they assume a murder has been committed, and the case goes to trial. But the appearance of Vighnesvara, a manifestation of Ganesh with the body of a young man and the head of an elephant, in the courtroom of ultra-conservative Judge McEchern throws things into chaos. Around the world statues of Ganesh are drinking offered milk, and poor Judge McEchern has troubles enough with his carnival court: witnesses who testify in languages other than English, testimony from an accused who grows extra arms at will, and a murder victim, with the head of an elephant, who refuses to stay dead. Ganesh is known as the lord of obstacles, and "Once Upon an Elephant" is strewn with them, twisting, turning, and thwarting expectations about race, class, and sexuality, all within a page-turning murder mystery. This was Ashok Mathur's first novel; his second novel, "The Short, Happy Life of Harry Kumar," is also available from Arsenal Pulp Press.

About this title

About the Author

Ashok Mathur is the author of two previous novels, both published by Arsenal: Once Upon an Elephant and The Short, Happy Life of Harry Kumar. He is the Director of the Centre for Innovation in Culture and the Arts in Canada at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC, Canada.

Edition details

• Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Pr Ltd
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1551520583
• ISBN 13: 9781551520582
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 220