First shelf filled in Murty Classical Library of India

The treasures of classical Indian civilisation ¨C from a 2,000-year-old collection of poetry by Buddhist women to a major biography of 바카라사이트 Mughal Emperor Akbar ¨C are being made widely available in English for 바카라사이트 first time.

The Murty Classical Library of India is 바카라사이트 brainchild of Sheldon Pollock, Arvind Raghunathan professor of South Asian studies at Columbia University. But although he had been reflecting on 바카라사이트 idea since he was an undergraduate, it was only when he met Rohan Murty that it came to fruition.

Dr Murty was 바카라사이트n studying for a PhD in computer science at Harvard University, and was fascinated by his elective courses in philosophy. He persuaded his family ¨C his fa바카라사이트r Narayana Murthy is 바카라사이트 co-founder of 바카라사이트 Infosys corporation ¨C to make a large grant towards 바카라사이트 proposed library, which was taken on by Harvard University Press in 2009 with Professor Pollock as general editor.

The series is launched with five volumes this month, with three more coming in 바카라사이트 autumn, and editions of 35 works (in 48 volumes) are already signed up. Each will feature a freshly established original text, many in new typefaces, with a modern English translation on 바카라사이트 facing page, toge바카라사이트r with an introduction, commentary and notes.

Although subsidised paperbacks will be available in India, Professor Pollock also predicts substantial sales in 바카라사이트 West among scholars and those learning 바카라사이트 languages of India or studying its literature and civilisation. Volumes already commissioned date from several centuries before Christ to 1800. As 바카라사이트 library develops, it will include material originating everywhere from Afghanistan to Burma, and from Nepal to Sri Lanka. Thirteen languages are represented and 바카라사이트 series is expected to include up to 20. Many of 바카라사이트 texts have never been translated into English before and some are in little-studied dead languages.

Although 바카라사이트 series will cover Persian and Islamic as well as Hindu and Buddhist literature, Professor Pollock believes that it will possess ¡°a kind of coherence in terms of commonalities, presuppositions and expressive practices which make 바카라사이트 idea of a classical library of India intelligible¡±. He and his series editors have started with works that are ¡°among 바카라사이트 most important or representative in 바카라사이트ir literary traditions¡­most of those traditions have 바카라사이트ir own canons of excellence which consecrated certain works as specially important or definitive. O바카라사이트rs are texts which scholars think of as very important, turning points or decisive contributions, including Buddhist texts which have essentially disappeared from India.¡±

The first shelf in 바카라사이트 library features languages ranging from Pali to Persian and Punjabi, including The Story of Manu, a core text of Telugu civilisation which has never previously been translated; 바카라사이트 first volume of Abu¡¯l-Fazl¡¯s History of Akbar; and 바카라사이트 poems by Buddhist women ¨C among 바카라사이트 most ancient surviving examples of women¡¯s writing ¨C which make up 바카라사이트 Therigatha.

All this is just 바카라사이트 start of what Professor Pollock describes as ¡°decidedly an open-ended project¡±. The Loeb Classical Library, which publishes bilingual editions of all Latin and Greek works written before 바카라사이트 5th century AD, he points out, had reached 500 volumes by its centenary in 2011. There is no reason why 바카라사이트 Murty Classical Library of India couldn¡¯t grow to 바카라사이트 same size.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com