I was waiting for “The tales of Beedle the Bard” for quite some time. Finally bought it this Sunday from Odyssey ( Old faithful Crossword let me down on this one). This is the third book in the Harry Potter peripheral series after “Quidditch through the ages” and “Magnificent magical beasts and where to find them”.
About the book, each of the five stories /fables have a sort of review written through Albus Dumbledore. So if one were to write a review it would be a review of a review. Also, introduction written by JKR is too well worded for me to add anything. Except for “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart” all the stories have an happily-ever-after-ish ending. The stories illustrate the reason why Harry Potter series is popular in the first place in that magic is only a framework in which all the realities of life such as autocratic and racial supremacist dictators, filthy rich spoilt brats, honest and hardworking people and traitors exist. The ‘muggle’ children rave about bikes, wizards rave about broomsticks. Another speciality of Rowling is that she treats children in a very non-patronising way as independent human beings capable of thinking for themselves.
The notes by Albus Dumbledore at the end of each story merit a separate review by themselves. They are interspersed with excerpts from HP books and some great humour of Wodehousean vintage. Sample this .
“ My response prompted several further letters from Mr. Malfoy, but as they consisted mainly of opprobrious remarks on my sanity, parentage and hygiene, their relevance to this commentary is remote.”
There are also a lot of inside jokes such as Aberforth Dumbledore favouring the tale of Grumble the Grubby Goat over the tale of Three Brothers prompting similes like “It attracts trouble as Grumble the Grubby Goat attracts flies”.
There are also some Oscar Wilde like comments such as “ As the eminent wizarding philosopher Bertrand de Pensѐes-Profondes ( Freanch for Bertrand the profound thinker) writes in his celebrated work A Study into the Possibility of Reversing the Actual and Metaphysical Effects of Natural Death,with Particular Regard to the Reintegration of Essence and Matter: ‘ Give it up. It’s never going to happen’”
All this makes a great reading for HP diehards like yours truly; indeed I have read the book twice in two days. The cost might be a inhibiting factor though, labeled at Rs. 599/- it is a bit steep. Odyssey is offering it at 385/-. Though for aficionados, anything with the master’s touch is priceless.
