Class Description
The Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala have populations of seventy-two million, sixty-four million, and thirty-five million, respectively; altogether that equals roughly the same as the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy combined. While it is easy to group them all together as part of one country, each Indian state has its own language and literary heritage.
Scratch the surface of that vast literary culture by reading and discussing four novels in translation from Southern India. Each book will be contextualized with a preceding historical lecture, followed by discussion of these readings and cultural traditions together in class.
Raghav Rao was born in Mumbai, India. He graduated from the University of Chicago and teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His debut novel is slated for publication in 2024 by Penguin Random House (India) - Vintage and Hera Books (UK & Commonwealth).
Materials List
Required
Order from the Newberry Bookshop!
- Perumal Murugan, Pyre. Grove Press, Black Cat, 2022. ISBN: 9780802159335
- U. R. Ananthamurthy, Samskara: A Rite for a Dead Man. New York Review of Books, 2017. ISBN: 9781590179123
- O. V. Vijayan, Legends of Khasak. India Penguin Modern Classics, 2008. ISBN: 9780143063674
- Wajida Tabassum, Sin. Hachette, 2022. ISBN: 9789391028886 (Now available at the Newberry Bookshop!)
Cost and Registration
5 sessions, $257 ($231 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
Support the Newberry
Your generosity is vital in keeping the library’s programs, exhibitions, and reading rooms free and accessible to everyone.
Make a Gift