Sikh Art and Literature - Softcover

..."provides useful insights into Sikh religion and culture." -"Religious Studies Review ..."for a comprehensive overview, including a sampling of Sikh poetry, a look at some 20th century art, and the story of the migration of some Sikhs to North America in the 1890s, "Sikh Art and Literature is an excellent resource." -"Asian Pacific North American Review of Books ..."absorbing...a very engaging read." -"India Today International "This scholarly, and very readable, book brings to the attention of the reading public, in India as well as in the West, new insights into the artistic and literary achievements of Sikhism, a dynamic religious community...It is the often overlooked aspects of the Sikh community, not the more familiar story of Sikhs, that are presented with scholary appreciation in this valuable addition to our understanding of Sikh sontributions worldwide ." -Ainslie T. Embree, Professor Emeritus of History, Columbia University "Recommended for both academic and public libraries." -Library Journal, May 1, 1999

Sikh Art and Literature traverses the 500-year history of a religion that dawned with the modern age in a land that was a thoroughfare of invading armies, ideas and religions and arts of the East and West.
Essays by art curators, historians and collectors and religion and literary scholars are illustrated with some of the earliest and finest Sikh paintings. Sikh modernism and mysticism is explored in essays on the holy Guru Granth Sahib; the translations and writings of the British Raj convert, M.A. Macauliffe; the fathers of modern Punjabi literature, Bhai Vir Singh and Puran Singh; and the 20th century fiction writers Bhai Mohan Vaid Singh and Khushwant Singh. Excerpts from journals of visitors to the court of the diminutive and new translations of early twentieth century poetry add depth and originality to this beautiful and accessible introduction to the art, literature, beliefs and history of the Sikhs.
Illustrated throughout with 42 colour and 92 black and white images, Sikh Art and Literature is a colourful, heartfelt, and informative introduction to the Sikh culture.