Extraordinary child : poems from a South Indian devotional genre / [compiled by] Paula Richman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Richman, Paula, Author.

Contributor:

Richman, Paula.

Series:

SHAPS library of translations.

SHAPS library of translations

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Piḷḷaittamil̲.

Devotional poetry, Tamil--Translations into English.

Devotional poetry, Tamil.

Devotional poetry, Tamil--History and criticism.

Tamil language--Grammar.

Tamil language.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (312 p.)

Place of Publication:

Honolulu, HI : University of Hawai'i Press, c1997.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

For hundreds of years Tamil poets have been composing devotional texts in which they adopt the voice of a mother and address praises to an extraordinary child. The poems, called pillaittamil (literally "Tamil for a child"), form a major genre of Tamil literature. Since the twelfth century, when the first known pillaittamil was written in honor of a Chola king, many of these poems have been composed in praise of Murugan and South Indian goddesses, as well as saints and venerated monastic abbots. In recent times pillaittamils have been dedicated to the Prophet Muhammad, the Virgin Mary, and Baby Jesus, as well as notable political figures and moviestars. Extraordinary Child provides a sampler of translations from, and analysis of, seven pillaittamils of particular religious, aesthetic, or political significance.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Illustrations and Tables

Preface

I. HOW TO READ A PILLAITTAMIL

1. Extraordinary Child

2. Asking for the Moon, Taming the Tiger

II. PILLAITTAMILS FOR READING

3. The Florescence

4. A Temple and a Pillaittamil

5. The Hindu Monastic Milieu

6. A Pillaittamil to Muhammad

7. One Poet's Baby Jesus

8. Poetry of Cultural Nationalism

III. REFLECTIONS ON PILLAITTAMILS

9. The Fruits of Reading Pillaittamils

Appendix: Descriptions of Pillaittamils in Texts about Poetics

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

"A publication of the School of Hawaiian Asian & Pacific Studies, University of Hawai'i"--P. preceding t.p.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-279) and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 28. Aug 2019)

ISBN:

9780824862442

0824862449

9780585332413

058533241X

OCLC:

45843017