1st Edition

Sikh Art and Literature

Edited By Kerry Brown Copyright 1999
    264 Pages
    by Routledge

    286 Pages
    by Routledge

    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.

    Contents List of Colour Plates and Illustrations Art Foreword Literature Foreword Acknowledgements
    Introduction, Narinder Singh Kapany, Founding Chair of Sikh Foundation and Kerry Brown, The Sikh Foundation
    Art
    1. From Gurus to Kings: Early and Court Painting Gursharan Singh Sidhu, President of The Society for Art and Cultural Heritage for India 2. An Illustrated Life: Guru Nanak in Narrative Art Robert J.Del Bonta, Asian Art Museum 3. The Sikh Treasury: The Sikh Kingdom and the British Raj Susan Stronge, V&A Curator, Museum 4.Golden Temple, Marble Forum: Form and Meaning in Sacred Architecture Henry J.Walker, Bates College, Maine
    Literature
    1. The Unstruck Melody: Mystical Mysticism in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Gobind Singh Mansukhani, former chair of Sikh Studies at Chandigarh University 6. The Western Gateway toSikhism: The Life and Works of M.A.Macauliffe Harbans Lal, trustee of the Academy of Guru Granth Studies 7. Poetry Urges Poetry: From the Guru Granth to Bhai Vir Singh Nikky Guninder Kaur Singh, Colby College 8. Critical Ecstacy: The Modern Poetry of Puran Singh Surjit Singh Dulai, Michigan State University 9. Old Culture, New Knowledge: The Writings of Bhai Mohan Singh Vaid Ardaman Singh, writer, Delhi and Nirvikar Singh, University of California, Santa Cruz 10. A Mirror to Our Faces: The Short Stories of Khushwan Singh Abdul Jabbar, City College of San Francisco
    Appendices 1. The Ten Sikh Gurus 2. The Contributors to Sri Guru Granth Sahib 3. The Structure of Sri Guru Granth Sahib 4. Custodians of Sikh Art Recommended Reading Glossary.

    Biography

    Kerry Brown is the director of programs for the Sikh Foundation. She has been a writer and editor in religious publishing for fourteen years.
    The Sikh Foundation was founded in 1967 to promote the heritage and future of Sikh faith and culture. Its sponsorships and collaborations include academic chairs, courses and conferences, international art exhibitions, books, films and videos.

    'An appealing overview of 500 years achievement.' - The Scotsman

    'Sikh Art and Lierature is a timely addition to much needed scholary work on Sikhism ...[it] will prove to be a valuable resource for those who are engaged in teaching Sikh studies courses in colleges and universities ... I strongly recommend that all Sikh families should buy a copy ...' - Sewa Singh, World Faiths Encounter

    '... it is to the credit of Routledge ... that it has brought out this absorbing book ...' - Financial Times