Description
First staged in 1892, the South Indian play Girls for Sale (Kanyasulkam) is considered the greatest modern work of Telugu literature and the first major drama written in an Indian language that critiqued British colonialism's effects on Indian society. Filled with humor, biting social commentary, parody, and masquerade, the plot revolves around a clever courtesan, a young widow, and a very old man who wants to buy as his wife a very young girl. Velcheru Narayana Rao has prepared the first idiomatic English translation, with notes and a critical essay. Itself a masterpiece of Indian literature in translation, this edition makes Apparao's work available to new audiences.
A masterpiece of British Indian literature in a vibrant modern English translation
About the Author
Gurajada Apparao (1862-1915) is regarded as the father of modern Telugu literature.
Velcheru Narayana Rao is Krishnadevaraya Professor of Languages and Cultures of Asia at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Reviews
"[A] scholarly event of the first importance.... This translation is a work of artand I predict that it will, on its own terms, become a classic." -David Shulman, Hebrew University
Book Information
ISBN 9780253219138
Author Gurajada Apparao
Format Paperback
Page Count 248
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press
