At what stage is the Murty Classical Library of India?
We are planning an autumn 2013 launch.
How many titles will the series comprise?
We hope to publish around 4 to 6 new titles each year and keep the backlist books in print.
You’re hosting a design competition as well.
The challenge is to design the exterior of the books — the logo, logotype, jacket design.
What kind of logo is HUP looking for?
The design should be intrinsically Indian, yet not refer to any single religion, language, period, or region of the subcontinent.
Who is the competition open to, and till when is it on?
It’s open to all citizens over 18 in India, the US and the UK. The last date is December 1, 2011.
Some Indian authors being considered for translation to be part of the library?
Kamban’s Ramayana (Tamil), Tulsidas’ Ramcaritmanas (Hindi), Bulle Shah’s poetry (Punjabi) and Waris Shah’s Hir-Ranjha (Punjabi)
How did you select these authors?
A four-person editorial committee headed by Sanskritist Prof Sheldon Pollock approves the selection process.
Will the series be available in India?
Absolutely. They will be affordable with high production values. We want regular
people to be able to buy and read the books.
Tell us about your experience.
This is a series we’re putting together with an eye toward the future, so that India’s rich intellectual, humanist traditions are not lost.
How is it different from The Loeb Classical Library, which hup already publishes?
With the Loebs, we only have to deal with two scripts (Greek and Roman). The Murty Library introduces more Indic scripts—Devanagari, Nastaliq, Gurmukhi, Tamil, Bangla, and so forth. It is still easier to find excellent translators of classical Greek and Latin than it is to find an expert in classical Oriya or medieval Bangla.
