River Prince (Ponniyin Selvan Book 3): 3, VI

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 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. Read more