This is the first complete English translation of an important work of Tamil poetics. Composed in southern India around the eighth century CE, this is a commentary structured around 60 verses of uncertain origin on the poetry of love. The commentary also includes hundreds of illustrative poems drawn from various Tamil literary periods ranging from the very earliest through the eighth century.

Unworldly teenager Gemma was beginning her working life in a busy London office, with high hopes of following family tradition by establishing a career in the Civil Service. She had no idea a chance meeting a few days later would mean her chosen path heading way off course, sending her whole future in an entirely unplanned direction. No idea of the roller coaster she was embarking on, held for life by a soul-deep bond which could not be broken. She should have heeded the first warning, thus avoiding the emotional turmoil that lay in wait. Dave. Could she – should she – trust him? Faced with life changing situations and decisions, Gemma had the love and support of others to help her. Yet time after time, when she should have taken the opportunities to extricate herself from the all-consuming relationship, she would ultimately press the ‘self-destruct’ button, sending her spiralling back towards the man who possessed her. Dave. There was no escape... was there?

A courageous girl brings down a dividing wall with her words

An exploration and translation of the work of Hindu poet-saint Kāraikkāl Ammaiyār.

"The book "The Subhedar's Son: A Narrative of Brahmin Christian Conversion from Nineteenth-century Maharashtra" explores the experience of Christian conversion among Brahmins from one of the earliest Anglican Missions of the Bombay Presidency (Church Missionary Society) established in the nineteenth century"--

A grand synthesis of unprecedented scope, Literary Cultures in History is the first comprehensive history of the rich literary traditions of South Asia. Together these traditions are unmatched in their combination of antiquity, continuity, and multicultural complexity, and are a unique resource for understanding the development of language and imagination over time. In this unparalleled volume, an international team of renowned scholars considers fifteen South Asian literary traditions—including Hindi, Indian-English, Persian, Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Urdu—in their full historical and cultural variety. The volume is united by a twofold theoretical aim: to understand South Asia by looking at it through the lens of its literary cultures and to rethink the practice of literary history by incorporating non-Western categories and processes. The questions these seventeen essays ask are accordingly broad, ranging from the character of cosmopolitan and vernacular traditions to the impact of colonialism and independence, indigenous literary and aesthetic theory, and modes of performance. A sophisticated assimilation of perspectives from experts in anthropology, political science, history, literary studies, and religion, the book makes a landmark contribution to historical cultural studies and to literary theory in addition to the new perspectives it offers on what literature has meant in South Asia. (Available in South Asia from Oxford University Press--India)