Aithihyamaala: The Garland of Legends' from Kerala

by Kottarathil Sankunni, Leela James (Translator)

Overview

This special e-edition combines all three print volumes of the collected enduring legends of Kerala in the Aithihyamaala, the garland of legends.
Yakshis, gandharvas, gods and demi-gods. Famous poets and learned Ayurvedic doctors. Magicians, conceited kings and Kalari gurus. Faithful, intelligent elephants and their fatherly mahouts. A vibrant and diverse cast of characters brings to life the ancient stories.

The original collection of 126 tales, were documented over 25 years and written in the 1900s by Kottaaraththil Sankunni. These stories of well-known figures in Kerala folklore were first published in Bhashaposhini, the renowned Malayalam literary magazine. This edition of 50 stories, meticulously curated and translated by Leela James, transports you to the magical world of history, myth and fantasy of more than 100 years ago. Wisdom and vice, revenge and loyalty, imagination and fact, faith and superstition are intricately intertwined to create a collector’s edition for lovers of legends, Malayalam folklore and Indian literature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789350097632
Publisher:	Hachette India
Publication date:	06/20/2015
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	787
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Kottarathil Sankunni is a well-known author of Malayalam literature. He was born on 23rd March, 1855 in Kottayam town in the erstwhile Travancore State, which was then in the Madras Presidency of British India. From the age of 54, he began compiling common legends of Kerala, a task which took him a quarter of a century. These stories of famous figures in Kerala folklore, including Kaayamkulam Kochchunni and Sakthan Thampuraan, were first published in the renowned Malayalam literary magazine of the nineteenth century, the Bhashaposhini. These stories were then published, again in Malayalam, in the early twentieth century as an eight-volume book called Aithihyamaala (Garland of Legends) by the Reddiar Press in Kollam (Quilon of British India) in Kerala. Although he wrote both poetry and prose, including books on Kathakali and Thullal (cultural dances of Kerala), he is best known today as the author of the hugely popular Aithihyamaala. He died on 22nd July, 1937.

Leela James is 82 years old. Before her marriage to the late Professor Josef James, she taught at the New Era High School in Panchgani, Maharashtra. She discovered her writing abilities after she was 75, taking up the pen when most people put it down, and surprised herself and others. She is ‘Amma’ to her children and to their friends, and by extension, ‘grandmother’ to all their children. This translation is meant for all those who cannot read Malayalam to enjoy its colourful literature. She has a son Viju, daughter Soumya and son-in-law Madhu. She lives with her son in Delhi.