Lilavai

Kouhala, Andrew Ollett

$59.95

Hardback

In stock
Ready to ship

QTY:

English

Harvard Uni.Press Academi
05 January 2021

Poetry; Asian history

Series: Murty Classical Library of India

The Prakrit romance Lilavai, an early ninth-century poem attributed to Kouhala and set in modern-day coastal Andhra Pradesh, is the most celebrated work in the genre. Complexly narrated in the alternating voices of its heroines and heroes and featuring a cast of semi-divine and magical beings, it centers on three young women: Lilavai, princess of Sinhala (today's Sri Lanka); her cousin Mahanumai, princess of the mythical city Alaka; and Kuvalaavali, Mahanumai's adopted sister. Following a prophecy that Lilavai's husband will rule the earth, the princess happens upon a portrait of King Hala of Pratishthana and immediately falls in love. While journeying to meet him, she hears her cousins' tales of their lost loves, and then vows not to marry until they are reunited. To win Lilavai's hand, King Hala journeys to the underworld, faces monsters, and overcomes armies. Lilavai explores themes of karma and female desire, notably privileging women as storytellers. A new edition of the Prakrit text, presented in the Devanagari script, accompanies a new English prose translation.

By: Kouhala
Edited and translated by: Andrew Ollett
Imprint: Harvard Uni.Press Academi
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 133mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 508g
ISBN: 9780674247598
ISBN 10: 0674247590
Series: Murty Classical Library of India
Pages: 432
Publication Date: 05 January 2021
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Andrew Ollett is a Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago.

Reviews for Lilavai

Ornate and naturalistic…In his translation, Ollett simpliﬁes awkward phrasings, transforms the long and unwieldy passive constructions common in Indo-Āryan languages into active constructions, as well as ably renders unclear or difﬁcult passages…The result is very readable and engaging. -- Jackson Stephenson * International Journal of Hindu Studies *