An Anthology of Telugu Classical Poetry

FAIN: RL-22134-94

University of Wisconsin, Madison (Madison, WI 53715-1218)
V. Narayana Rao (Project Director: June 1993 to December 1997)

To support the translation of an anthology of classical poetry in Telugu, a Dravidian language of southern India.

We propose to produce an anthology of translated selections from the great classical literature in Telugu, the language of Andhra Pradesh in Southern India. The Telugu tradition is one of the richest and most lyrical of all Indian literatures, and also one of the least known outside of its own territory. This project seeks to introduce the major classical poets in Telugu to an English-speaking audience, to situate them in terms of the internal evolution of the tradition, and to annotate and illuminate their poetry in the light of the major thematic concerns of Telugu culture. An introduction will discuss the thousand-year history of Telugu poetry and poetics and the major breakthroughs and revolutions it has undergone. This will be the first such anthology of classical Telugu poetry in any Western language.