Ten Indian Classics

Reading [this book]…felt like eavesdropping on a vibrant familial gathering where each member proposes a different answer…what emerges is a magnificently knotty history of thinking about personal transformation in South Asia, pegged to the archetypal narratives of love and war. -- Torsa Ghosal * Los Angeles Review of Books * A testament to the dedication of scholars and translator who ensure these works are not just preserved but celebrated…[this] is not just a book; it’s a journey through time…a treasure trove for anyone interested in South Asia’s literary heritage. -- Kuheena Sharma * News18 * The[se] texts are unmistakably Indian, sharing a love for words, sounds and images and exhibiting an exuberance rarely found in other cultural traditions…a good introductory volume to Indian literature. -- David Chaffetz * Asian Review of Books * Offers a collection of stories and poems that span thousands of years and a variety of cultures across India…delivers a profound exploration of history, literature, and emotions. -- Jessica Calaway * Library Journal * Traverses and transcends time and space…a testament to the power of translation. -- Antara Baruah * The Print * A rich selection of South Asian classics…awe-inspiring in not only presenting the richness and plurality of South Asian history but also revealing how our present reality is inextricably woven with our past. -- Lopamudra Basu * IndiaCurrents * It seems hardly conceivable that a slim, elegant anthology could capture and distill into a single essence the astonishing variety—extending over millennia and across a vast linguistic, geographical, historical, semantic, and spiritual terrain—of India’s imaginative literature. That is, though, exactly what Ten Indian Classics does. The translations here are spotless and exhilarating, word by word and page by page. The overall vision is breathtaking. -- Vijay Seshadri, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry This stunning collection of contemporary translations of Indian classics is a profound testimony to the underlying continuity of human civilization. Essential reading for anyone curious about the roots of South Asia’s diverse and vibrant literary culture in our own time. -- Vivek Shanbag, author of <i>Ghachar Ghochar</i> Covering two-and-a-half millennia and nine languages, Ten Indian Classics is a magnificent, dazzling collection of some of the gems from the vast treasure trove of the classical literatures of the Indian subcontinent. From the mystical to the ideological, the erotic to the devotional, the range of genres, moods, artistry, and emotions on display in these works is ​extraordinary. It ​shows the longue durée of a ​culture of immense plurality and diversity, of traditions that are still alive, still fresh, in their endlessly renewing practices. This is a beautiful and indispensable book. -- Neel Mukherjee, author of <i>Choice: A Novel</i>