A.K. Ramanujan (1929-1993) was, arguably, modern India's finest English-language poet. At the time of his death he was Professor of Linguistics at the University of Chicago and a noted translator of poetry from the ancient Tamil. This volume of his collected poems, the first such collection to be published, includes poems out of the three books he published during his lifetime, and a fourth collection left unpublished at his death. Reflecting his lifelong interests in folklore, anthropology, structuralism, and biculturalism, the poems will be welcomed by all lovers of contemporary poetry.
A.K. Ramanujan (1929-1993), one of India's finest poets, translators, folklorists, essayists and scholars of the twentieth century, is a stalwart in India's literary history. His translations of ancient Tamil and medieval Kannada poetry, as well as of UR Ananthamurthy's novel Samskara, are considered as classics in Indian literature. A pioneering modernist poet, during his lifetime he produced four poetry collections in English, and he had also intended to publish the journals he had kept throughout the decades. After his premature death 25 years ago, his journals, diaries, papers and other documents-spanning fifty years from 1944 to 1993-were given by his family to the Special Collections Research Center at the Regenstein Library of the University of Chicago in June 1994. These unpublished writings, meticulously preserved and catalogued at the University of Chicago, were waiting for someone to unveil them to a wider readership. Edited by Krishna Ramanujan and Guillermo Rodríguez, Journeys offers access to Ramanujan's personal diaries and journals, providing a window into his creative process. It will include literary entries from his travels, his thoughts on writing, poetry drafts, and dreams. His diaries and journals served as fertile ground where he planted the seeds for much of his published work.
This book of oral tales from the south Indian region of Kannada represents the culmination of a lifetime of research by A. K. Ramanujan, one of the most revered scholars and writers of his time. The result of over three decades' labor, this long-awaited collection makes available for the first time a wealth of folktales from a region that has not yet been adequately represented in world literature. Ramanujan's skill as a translator, his graceful writing style, and his profound love and understanding of the subject enrich the tales that he collected, translated, and interpreted. With a written literature recorded from about 800 A.D., Kannada is rich in mythology, devotional and secular poetry, and more recently novels and plays. Ramanujan, born in Mysore in 1929, had an intimate knowledge of the language. In the 1950s, when working as a college lecturer, he began collecting these tales from everyone he could--servants, aunts, schoolteachers, children, carpenters, tailors. In 1970 he began translating and interpreting the tales, a project that absorbed him for the next three decades. When Ramanujan died in 1993, the translations were complete and he had written notes for about half of the tales. With its unsentimental sympathies, its laughter, and its delightfully vivid sense of detail, the collection stands as a significant and moving monument to Ramanujan's memory as a scholar and writer.
Folklore pervades childhoods, families and communities and is the language of the illiterate. Even in large, modern cities, folklore-proverbs, lullabies, folk medicine, folktales-is only a suburb away, a cousin or a grandmother away. Wherever people live, folklore grows. India is a country of many languages, religions, sects and cultures. It is a land of many myths and countless stories. Translated from twenty-two Indian languages, these one hundred and ten tales cover most of the regions of India and represent favorite's narratives from the subcontinent. A.K. Ramanujan's outstanding selection is an indispensable guide to the richness and vitality of India's ageless oral folklore tradition.
The series Religion and Society (RS) contributes to the exploration of religions as social systems - both in Western and non-Western societies; in particular, it examines religions in their differentiation from, and intersection with, other cultural systems, such as art, economy, law and politics. Due attention is given to paradigmatic case or comparative studies that exhibit a clear theoretical orientation with the empirical and historical data of religion and such aspects of religion as ritual, the religious imagination, constructions of tradition, iconography, or media. In addition, the formation of religious communities, their construction of identity, and their relation to society and the wider public are key issues of this series.
As A Young College Lecturer In The 1950S, Ramanujan Collected Tales From Servants, Aunts, Schoolteachers, Children-Anyone Who Would Tell Him A Story-And Translated And Interpreted Them Over The Next Three Decades. This Volume Includes Seventy-Seven Tales, With Ramanujan S Notes That Help Place The Stories In Their Cultural And Literary Contexts.
As a young college lecturer in the 1950s, Ramanujan collected tales from servants, aunts, schoolteachers, childrenýanyone who would tell him a storyýand translated and interpreted them over the next three decades. This volume includes seventy-seven tales, with Ramanujanýs notes that help place the stories in their cultural and literary contexts.
Folklore Pervades Childhoods, Families And Communities And Is The Language Of The Illiterate. Even In Large, Modern Cities, Folklore Proverbs, Lullabies, Folk Medicine, Folktales Is Only A Suburb Away, A Cousin Or A Grandmother Away. Wherever People Live, Folklore Grows. India Is A Country Of Many Languages, Religions, Sects And Cultures. It Is A Land Of Many Myths And Countless Stories. Translated From Twenty-Two Indian Languages, These One Hundred And Ten Tales Cover Most Of The Regions Of India And Represent Favourite Narratives From The Subcontinent. A.K. Ramanujan S Outstanding Selection Is An Indispensable Guide To The Richness And Vitality Of India S Ageless Oral Folklore Tradition.
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