Mahakavi K. V. Simon: The Milton of the East

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The first English study of poet K. V. Simon (1883-1944), with sample translations, including of his 12,000-line epic Vedaviharam, and a critical biography.

Opening with the story of South Indian poet laureate (or mahakavi) K. V. Simon’s heroic life, this book escorts its global reader through the legendary Malabar Coast, transiting into the densely rich Simon verse in translation, and closing with a comparative reading of a rewarding range of texts from Simon and Milton.

When Simon’s epic Vedaviharam, a verse rendition of The Book of Genesis, appeared in the Malayalam language in 1931, The Guardian hailed the multifaceted Simon as India’s veritable Milton. Like Milton, Simon was a polymath, poet, hymnodist, composer, religious reformer and an educator. Like Milton, he was a man of immense learning, writing prose and verse with equal brilliance. As a result of his writings – in which he exhorted the Church of his era to seek scriptural literacy rather than uphold uncritical traditions – Simon was catapulted into public life as a reformer, apologist, and a nationally known prophetic figure. In Mahakavi K. V. Simon: The Milton of the East, translations of Simon’s works cover a range, from purpose-driven topic studies to interpretive Bible commentaries, poems, and hymns.

Scholarship has so far placed Simon’s poetical work on par with the bhakti classics of Ezhuthachen, the Father of modern Malayalam, and of Poonthanam, a Hindu metaphysical poet, both household names in India. But in this study, Varghese Mathai shows how Simon distinguishes himself by his contributions to numerous knowledge fields that bridge him to world literature, modern history, colonial studies, religion, apologetics, rhetorical studies, and more.

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