2 DECEMBER 1911, Page 11

Stories of Indian Gods and Heroes. By W. D. Monro,

MA. (George G. Harrap and Co. 5s. net.) —Mr. Monro explains lucidly in his Preface the sources from which he gets the material for his stories. These are, to put it briefly, the two great poems—the " Ramayana " and the " Adahabharata." It is a kind of poetry that does not touch us as nearly as the great Greek masterpieces. On the other hand it reaches higher levels of imagination. Then there comes out now and then a grotesque element, as the monkey prince and the buffalo demon in "The Tale of Rama and Sita." On the whole the material is not altogether congenial to Western readers, but Mr. Monro is very successful in overcoming this difficalty.