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The Kural
Tiruvalluvar's Tirukkural
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Ideal for readers interested in classic world literature, philosophy, ethics, and spirituality, as well as those seeking practical wisdom and cultural insight through poetic expression.
"A new translation of the fifth-century Tamil masterpiece on ethics, power, and love"--
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Description
A new translation of the classical Tamil masterpiece on ethics, power, and friendship, bringing Tiruvalluvar's poetry and philosophy to a new generation seeking practical wisdom and spiritual sustenance.
Drawing on the poetic tradition of W. S. Merwin, Wendell Berry, and William Carlos Williams, and nurtured by two decades of study under Tamil scholar Dr. K. V. Ramakoti, this new translation of the Kural by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma brings English readers closer than ever to the brilliant inner and outer music of Tiruvalluvar's work and ideas.
Tiruvalluvar's Tirukkural is a masterwork of poetry and practical philosophy. On par with other world classics such as the Tao Te Ching, the Kural is a compendium of 1,330 short philosophical verses, or kurals, that together cover a wide range of personal and cosmic experience, such as:
Politics
Harsh rule that brings idiots together—nothing
Burdens the earth more
Hospitality
The life that cherishes strangers each day
Never falls upon ruin
Friendship
Friendship is not a face smiling—friendship
Is a heart that smiles
Greed
Those who won't give and enjoy—even with billions
They have nothing
Accompanying the translation is a foreword by the founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism, Andrew Harvey; an introduction by the translator and scholar Archana Venkatesan; and a "Commentary of Notes," in which Pruiksma elucidates key words and shares insights from important Tamil commentaries.
Rich with indelible wordplay, learning, and heart, Pruiksma's translation transforms the barrier of language into a bridge, bringing the fullness of Tiruvalluvar's poetic intensity to a new generation.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Praised as "without doubt the best ever" English translation by David Shulman (The New York Review of Books), this edition is described as "intriguing" (Kajal Magazine) and "astonishingly fresh and vibrant" (Andrew Harvey). It offers humane guidance on living well and stewardship of the planet without admonition, as noted by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and is celebrated for its cultivated empathy and service to others by Archana Venkatesan.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780807003619
Publisher: Beacon Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 11 January 2022
Country: United States
Imprint: Beacon Press
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 140.0mm
Height: 216.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 200
About the Author
Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma is an author, poet, performer, and teacher. His books include The Safety of Edges and Give, Eat, and Live- Poems of Avvaiyar. Pruiksma teaches writing for Cozy Grammar and has received grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, 4Culture, Artist Trust, the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, the US Fulbright Program, the American Literary Translators Association, and Oberlin Shansi. Andrew Harvey is an internationally acclaimed poet, novelist, translator, mystical scholar, and spiritual teacher. Archana Venkatesan is professor of religious studies and comparative literature at the University of California.
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