An elegant and thorough examination of the riches of Sangam poetry
In this acclaimed comparative study, K. Kailasapathy, the celebrated Sri Lankan academic and critic, introduces and interprets ancient Tamil poems and examines the stylistic heritage, themes and motifs pervading Sangam poetry while building the literary corpus's bridge to heroic poetry in other languages – most notably Greek. He identifies the formulaic expression, stock phrases and overarching sensibilities pervasive in the poems and, going much against the popular grain, expands on the notion that oral verse-making is central to Sangam poetry.
A nod to Milman Parry, this deeply necessary exploration of our neglected past is an engaging and accessible discourse on one of our most fertile literary ages and, with much agility, connects the dots in studying early Tamil poetry for a modern reader.
About the Author
Born in Malaya, K. Kailasapathy (1933–1982) was educated at Victoria Institution (Kuala Lumpur), Jaffna Hindu College and Royal College (Colombo). After graduating from the University of Ceylon, he was the editor of Thinakaran, a national newspaper, for a few years. In 1961, he became an assistant lecturer at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, and after his Master’s, he proceeded to the University of Birmingham, where he received a doctorate in 1966. The same year he returned to the University of Ceylon and later moved to the University of Colombo. As the first president of the newly created Jaffna Campus of the University of Ceylon, he played an essential role in building up Jaffna University in its crucial early stages. Between 1977 and 1978, he was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in the USA and a fellow of the International Writing Program, University of Iowa. He passed away prematurely in December 1982. A well-known literary critic and a prolific writer, he has written eighteen books in Tamil and English, and numerous papers and articles.
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