The Life of Harishchandra (Murty Classical Library of India): 13 - Hardcover

Raghavanka Raghavanka; Vanamala Viswanatha

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0674545664 ISBN 13: 9780674545663

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2017

Synopsis

The Life of Harishchandra, Raghavanka's thirteenth-century masterpiece, is the first poetic rendering of one of ancient India's most enduring legends. When his commitment to truth is tested by a powerful sage, King Harishchandra suffers utter deprivation the loss of his wife and son, his citizens and power, and, dearest of all, his caste status but refuses to yield. The tale has influenced poets and readers through the ages. Mahatma Gandhi traced his own commitment to truth to the impact of a Harishchandra play seen in childhood.

A poet from northern Karnataka trained in the twin traditions of Sanskrit and Kannada, Raghavanka negotiates a unique space for himself in the Kannada literary canon through important thematic, formal, and stylistic innovations. The conflicts he addresses of hierarchical social order, political power, caste, and gender are as relevant to contemporary India as to his own times.

Accompanied by the original text in the Kannada script, this spirited translation, the first into any language, brings an elegant and energetic narrative to a global readership.

About this title

About the Author

Vanamala Viswanatha is Professor of English Studies at the School of Education, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, India.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674545664
• ISBN 13: 9780674545663
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 656