Synopsis/Annotation: Two prominent translators present a complete English-language edition of one of the great works of Indian classical literature. "This translation of the Purananuru by a distinguished Tamil scholar and a noted poet is unlikely to be rivaled for a long time to come. It is a remarkable achievement, at once eloquent and immensely moving, and deserving of unstinting praise." -- R. Parthasarathy, translator of The Tale of an Anklet Two prominent translators present the first complete English-language edition of one of India's greatest works of classical literature: the Purananuru. This anthology of four hundred poems by more than 150 poets between the first and third centuries C.E. in old Tamil -- the literary language of ancient Tamilnadu -- was composed before Aryan influence had penetrated the south. It is thus a unique testament to pre-Aryan India.
Beyond its importance for understanding the development of South Asia's history, culture, religion, and linguistics, the Purananuru is a great work of literature, reflecting accurately and profoundly the life of southern India 2,000 years ago. One of the few works of classical India that confronts life without the insulation of a philosophical facade and that makes no basic assumptions about karma and the afterlife, the Purananuru has universal appeal. It faces the world as a great and unsolved mystery, delving into living and dying, despair, love, poverty, and the changing nature of existence.
To this hidden gem of world literature George L. Hart and Hank Heifetz add a helpful appendix, an annotated bibliography, and an excellent introduction describing the work and placing it in its social and historical context. Two prominent translators present the first complete English-language edition of one of India's greatest works of classical literature: the Purananuru. This anthology of four hundred poems by more than 150 poets between the first and third centuries C.E. delves into living and dying, despair, love, poverty, and the changing nature of existence.

Review Source: Choice
Review Date: February 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-231-11563-6
The work of more than 150 poets, including ten women, the Tamil poetry collected here dates from the first to the third centuries CE, before the major Aryan influence on south India. The courtly poetry of this period divides into two categories: "interior," or private love poetry, and "exterior," or public poems praising kings and their qualities, ethical poetry, and poems about old age and death. Expressing the cultural ideals of a warrior society, the imagery of the public poetry is of bravery, honor, power, generosity, and the king's duty to his people. Hart (Univ. of California, Berkeley) provides annotations to each poem and an introduction to the cultural setting and Tamil literary conventions. The reader will sense the alien syntax of Tamil and will be constantly astonished by the extended flow of the phrasing and the swift juxtapositions of abstract thought and concrete natural detail. This is magnificent poetry by any measure. The translations are outstanding in all respects, and scholars of other non-Western literatures can only hope for translations of comparable quality in their own fields. Recommended for all South Asia collections. W. L. Hanaway emeritus, University of Pennsylvania