Publisher's Synopsis
This book was written with two groups of readers in mind. i trust that you belong to one or both of thes. First, you may be one of those people interested to learn more about the Maldives and with luck visit that beautiful country.
The stories found here offer insights into the lives, culture and history of the Maldivians not found in any guidebook.
Altematively, you may be a scientist - say, an anthropolo-gist, folklorist, linguist or Islande scholar. The technical in formation and introduction that follow were written with you in mind and the stories themselves are annotated to add to their meaning.
Whichever type of reader you are, I hope that you enjoy reading this volume as much as i hâve done researching and
writing it over the years.
The stories in this book were compiled between 1979 and 2007. Many people helped me during the long process of collecting the texts over the years. In the end the stories were very useful, allowing me to understand and appreciate the language, customs, values and complex courtesy of the Maldives.--The Athor--
