A.R. Krishna Shastri- Kannada Writters and Their Work (An Old and Rare Book)

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About the Book An eminent teacher of Kannada for several years in the University of Mysore, the late Dr. A. R. Krishna Shastri retired as the professor and head of the department. By establishing Karnataka Sanghas and founding the literary journal Prabuddha Karnataka, he became one of the pioneers of the renaissance movement in modern Kannada. Erudite in Bengali, Kannada, Sanskrit and other languages he translated some well-known works into Kannada. His Vacana Bharata is a classic in modern Kannada literature; his Samskrta Nataka is a work of unrivalled scholarship. To him goes the credit of discovering gifted writers, fostering their talent and bringing them to the limelight.

Honored by the president ship of the Kannada Literary Conference, the award of honorary Doctorate Degree of the Mysore University and the award of the Central Sahitya Academy, Dr. A. R. Krishna Shastri has earned the everlasting gratitude of the Kannadigas by his sincerity and learning, classic works and devoted service in the field of Kannada.

About the Book Dr. K. Krishna Moorthy (b. 1923) is the professor and head of the department of Sanskrit, Karnatak University, and Dharwar He has rendered into Kannada, with notes and critical introductions, almost all the classical works in Sanskrit on Alaihire Sastra. He has also translated into Kannada some Sanskrit plays. He has to his credit a few independent works on Sanskrit literature and poetics.

Dr. H. M. Nayak, General Editor of the series Kannada Writers and their Work, is Professor of Kannada and Linguistics and Director, Institute of Kannada Studies, University of Mysore.

Preface This is a short sketch of the life and works of Prof. A. R. Krishna Shastri whose personality and works have been an inspiration to many more like me who had the privilege of being associated with him. Designed for the general reader who may not know Kannada literature, it gives some details of his personality and some specimens of his work. His contribution to the making of modern Kannada literature and especially to prose is emphasized, and his profound scholarship indicated. It is a humble tribute from one who owed so much to him personally.

I am extremely grateful to Professor H. M. Nayak and the Mysore University for giving me an opportunity to write these impressions of mine. It is an assignment which has brought me unmixed joy and a sense of fulfillment.

Introduction Kannada, spoken by about 25 million people, is one of the major languages of India. It is the language of the state of Karnataka in South India.

Karnataka has an area of about 1, 92,000 square kames and a population of about 29 million. It has made a unique contribution to the wealth of Indian Culture through its significant achievements in literature, in fine arts and in religious and spiritual realms.

Kannada people have their unbroken literary heritage of more than one thousand years. This heritage is very rich in quality, variety and volume. From the point of view of antiquity Kannada is next only to Sanskrit and Tamil in India. The earliest specimen of the language belongs to the fifth century A.D. The first available work is Kavirajamarga (9th century A.D.) which deals with poetry and poetics. No doubt, a fairly rich literature was existing prior to this, although the works of this period have not survived. The tenth century A.D. was the golden period in the history of Kannada Literature. The twelfth century A.D. was the age of revolt. A new literary form called Vacana, which is very typical of Kannada Literature, emerged during this period. As a result of it literary usage come closer to the spoken word. Saint poets, epic poets, scholar poets and mystics have subsequently enriched the tradition.

The modern period may be said to begin with the advent of English in the 19th century. Modern Kannada literature takes its colour and tone from the contemporary life. It has been acquiring new dimensions from ever-growing contact with the literatures of other regions of the country and the world at large. Kannada Literature with its glorious past and rich heritage has great achievements. The literary products of the last half a century assure us of a great future.

This series, 'Kannada Writers and their Work, is designed to provide the student of literature and general reader with a brief introduction to the major writers in Kannada Literature. It is proposed to cover almost all the important authors of ancient and medieval periods also, although a beginning is made with modern writers.

**Contents and Sample Pages**