The much awaited third book in the translation series of the epic Tamil classic ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ is now available in English by Eka
Westland Books under their imprint Eka, recently announced the release of River Prince, the third book in the Ponniyin Selvan translation series. The books, originally authored by Kalki—the pen name of Ramaswamy Krishnamurthy—are being translated by renowned author and translator Nandini Krishnan.
The mysterious tale of the young prince of the Chozha dynasty continues as ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ faces an onslaught of enemies on the battlefield and finds himself in a web of conspiracies within his own family and court. The third translation in the Ponniyin Selvan series is a read full of adventure, action, conspiracy, and romance.
Speaking about the third translation, Nandini Krishnan said, “River Prince is one of the most crucial books in the series—the book where we meet Ponniyin Selvan himself, Prince Arulmozhi Varman. It is also the point at which the story explodes into action, even as we gradually unpack the characters’ pasts and see just how complex the grey shades are.”
The book is now available in all offline and online bookstores.
About the Book
A SCINTILLATING NEW TRANSLATION OF THE CLASSIC TAMIL NOVEL
Why is Arulmozhi Varman, the dazzling younger prince of the Chozha dynasty, called ‘Ponniyin Selvan’? He must face an onslaught of enemies on the battlefield—a challenge he’s equal to—but can he simultaneously unravel the intricate web of conspiracies and betrayals within his own family and court? And who is the mysterious Poonguzhali, she of the mesmerising face and voice? Why did she agree to assist our hero Vandiyadevan in his dangerous quest to deliver a confidential message to Arulmozhi?
The throne of the Chozha empire is on the line. As intellect and eloquence clash in the rivalry between the fearless Pazhuvoor Rani, Nandini, and the indomitable Chola Princess, Kundavai, which of these remarkable women will prevail?
When Ponniyin Selvan was first serialised in Kalki, no one could have imagined the impact it would have on the circulation of the magazine. The novel invented a distinct style, in which slang alternates with erudition, wordplay with euphoric prose and vivid imagery—a style that critics came to call ‘Kalki Tamil’. Today, this pioneering work is considered one of the great classics of Tamil literature.
This unabridged translation of Kalki Krishnamurthy’s masterwork by Nandini Krishnan is at once faithful to the original and accessible to the readers of this day. Carefully crafted in lyrical prose, the Ponniyin Selvan series is the quintessential page-turner: full of adventure, intrigue, conspiracy and romance.
About the Author
‘Kalki’ is the pen name of Ramaswamy Krishnamurthy (1899– 1954), whose career in writing and journalism began as activism during the struggle for Indian independence. He served as the editor of the popular Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan before launching Kalki. The magazine—and eventually its founder— was named for the mythological tenth avatar of Vishnu to symbolise a vision to ‘destroy regressive regimes, express
radical thoughts, take readers into new directions and create a new era’. Kalki wrote several novels, including Parthiban Kanavu and Sivakamiyin Sabadam, as well as political essays, film reviews, dance and music critiques and scholarly work.
About the Translator
Nandini Krishnan is the author of Hitched: The Modern Woman and Arranged Marriage and Invisible Men: Inside India’s Transmasculine Networks. She has translated two of Perumal Murugan’s works into English: Estuary and Four Strokes of Luck. She was shortlisted for the PEN Presents translation prize 2022
and the Ali Jawad Zaidi Memorial Prize for translation from Urdu 2022. She is an alumna of the Writer’s Bloc playwrights’ workshop by the Royal Court Theatre, London. Her novel- in-manuscript was a winner of the Caravan Writers of India Festival contest and showcased at the Writers of the World Festival, Paris, 2014.
About Westland Books
Westland Books is an award-winning Indian publisher with a diverse and exciting range of books from popular and literary fiction to business, politics, biography, spirituality, popular science, health, and self-help. Its key publishing imprints include Context, which publishes award-winning literary fiction and non-fiction; Eka, which publishes the best of contemporary writing in Indian languages and in translation; Tranquebar, home to the best new fiction from the Indian subcontinent; the eponymous Westland Sport, Westland Business and Westland Non-Fiction, and ‘Red Panda’, which publishes a range of children’s books.