The epic Meghnad Bodh Kabyo, in which Ravana, not Rama, is the hero
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The epic, a Bengali version of the Ramayana story in which Ravana, not Rama,
is the hero, has become a classic of Indian literature.
Book Description
"The poem is rising into splendid popularity. Some say it is better than
Milton-but that is all bosh-nothing can be better than Milton; many say it
licks Kalidasa; I have no objection to that. I don't think it impossible to
equal Virgil, Kalidasa, and Tasso." Michael Madhusudan Datta wrote this in a
letter to a friend about his verse narrative, The Slaying of Meghanada
(1861). The epic, a Bengali version of the Ramayana story in which Ravana,
not Rama, is the hero, has become a classic of Indian literature. Datta
lived in Bengal at the height of what is frequently called the Bengal
Renaissance, a time so labeled for its reinvigoration and reconfiguration of
the Hindu past and for the florescence of the literary arts. It was also a
period when the Bengali city of Kolkata was a center of world trade-the
second city of the British empire-and thus a site of cultural exchange
between India and the West. Datta was the perfect embodiment of this time
and place. The Slaying of Meghanada is deeply influenced by western epic
tradition, and is sprinkled with nods to Homer, Milton, and Dante. Datta's
deft intermingling of western and eastern literary traditions brought about
a sea change in South Asian literature, and is generally considered to mark
the dividing line between pre-modern and modern Bengali literature. Datta's
masterpiece is now accessible to readers of English in Clinton Seely's
elegant translation, which captures both the sense and the spirit of the
original. The poem is supplemented by an extensive introduction, notes, and
a glossary.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Clinton Seely's volume is a gift to all who teach in English about any
aspect of South Asian culture." --Journal of Religion
"Clinton B. Seely's elegant, masterful translation of Meghanadavadha Kavya
into English will enable the poem's dissemination to a wider audience and
will be particularly useful as a teaching resource in course on South Asian
literature, culture, and history. The exquisiteness of Seely's prose in this
translation of Datta's extremely, compelling poem is reason enough to peruse
this volume. Will be highly welcomed by students and scholars of South
Asia." --Journal of Asian History
"Clinton B. Seely's scholarly English translation of Michael Madhusudan
Datta's nineteenth-century magnum opus, Meghanadavadh Kavya boldy empathizes
with the poet's eloquent vision in creating a Bengali mahakavya in a
Miltonic style. In addition to providing a useful glossary and notes, Seely
offers an extensive introduction to the literary and social contexts of
Datta's eventful life. Seely's unique translation will appeal to the lay
reader as well as scholars and critics of South Asia."--Journal of Asian
Studies
"[A] seemless translation. Datta's tale ingeniously mingles South Asian
literary aesthetics with Miltonic-style poetics and whiffs of Dante, Byron,
and wily Homer. The unexpected result is a new interculturally resonant
version, tangled by themes of filial love, obligation, and ultimately,
self-sacrifice that echo with a moral grandeur worthy of a Greek tragedy.
Why Datta, a devout Anglophile and a formative Indian nationalist, attempted
the Parnassian challenge is masterfully explained in Seely's deep
biographical introduction to the poet's life and times, which readers will
find especially illuminating."--CHOICE
"This is a landmark book, indispensable to students of literature and
modernity in colonial South Asia. It consolidates Seely's reputation as one
of the finest contemporary translators of Bengali into English. A truly
remarkable achievement."--Dipesh Chakrabarty, University of Chicago
"Segments of the narrative of the Ramayana frequently mutate into variant
versions and each retelling reflects an adaptation to yet another language,
another community and another historical moment. The Meghanadavadha kavya
captures some intersections of Indian and European cultures in the
nineteenth century. Clinton Seely's translation evokes the potential of this
historical moment and also of the epic genre, both of which resonate with
the perceptions of Michael Madhusudan Datta."--Romila Thapar, Jawaharlal
Nehru University
"This book is a polished gem, a sparkling gift of translation and
contextualization from Clinton B. Seely--legendary teacher, speaker, and
translator--to all students of Bengal, colonial history, Ramayana studies,
and Indian literature. The Slaying of Meghanada, Seely's artistic rendition
of Michael Madhusudan Datta's classic Bengali version of the Ramayana,
invites us to understand and feel, with Datta and through Seely, the
particularly Bengali pathos of a doomed, humanized, agonized Ravana. Here is
a text for our times, where Rama is not the hero.--Rachel Fell McDermott,
Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures, Barnard College
Book Description
"The poem is rising into splendid popularity. Some say it is better than
Milton-but that is all bosh-nothing can be better than Milton; many say it
licks Kalidasa; I have no objection to that. I don't think it impossible to
equal Virgil, Kalidasa, and Tasso." Michael Madhusudan Datta wrote this in a
letter to a friend about his verse narrative, The Slaying of Meghanada
(1861). The epic, a Bengali version of the Ramayana story in which Ravana,
not Rama, is the hero, has become a classic of Indian literature. Datta
lived in Bengal at the height of what is frequently called the Bengal
Renaissance, a time so labeled for its reinvigoration and reconfiguration of
the Hindu past and for the florescence of the literary arts. It was also a
period when the Bengali city of Kolkata was a center of world trade-the
second city of the British empire-and thus a site of cultural exchange
between India and the West. Datta was the perfect embodiment of this time
and place. The Slaying of Meghanada is deeply influenced by western epic
tradition, and is sprinkled with nods to Homer, Milton, and Dante. Datta's
deft intermingling of western and eastern literary traditions brought about
a sea change in South Asian literature, and is generally considered to mark
the dividing line between pre-modern and modern Bengali literature. Datta's
masterpiece is now accessible to readers of English in Clinton Seely's
elegant translation, which captures both the sense and the spirit of the
original. The poem is supplemented by an extensive introduction, notes, and
a glossary.
Mirza Ghalib
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