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Kalila and Dimna

I've been reading the second instalment of Ramsay Wood's masterly retelling of the ancient Indian classic, Kalila and Dimna. This collection of stories and tales, many of which involve animals, has gone under several different names over the centuries (The Fables of Bidpai, or the Panchatantra), and is often cited as one of the most influential books in world literature. Aesop, Kipling and The Arabian Nights all owe something to its rich cornucopia of anecdotes. Here is one of my favourites: Once upon a time there was a madman who was convinced he was dead. Nothing his doctors said would convince him otherwise. He lay on his bed, stiff as a board, refusing to listen to them. 'Go away. I'm dead,' he'd tell them. One of the doctors had an idea. 'Do dead men bleed?' he asked the patient. 'No, of course not,' said the mad man. The doctor grabbed the man's arm and pricked it with a knife until blood started to flow. 'Look!' he said. 'Blood.' The man sat up, amazed. 'My God,' he said. 'Dead men DO bleed!' This is the second in what Wood promises to be a trilogy, telling the ancient stories for a modern audience. I can highly recommend it. The full title is Kalila and Dimna: Fables of Conflict and Intrigue