Product Description

Sikh Art and Literature introduces Sikhism through its rich artistic culture. Using an assembly of rare imagery and literature, we are given the chance to explore the fruitful world of the Sikhs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #383245 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

Review
'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

From the Back Cover
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. The poetry of scriptures, the illustrated life stories of Guru Nanak, the early paintings from early various schools and regions, the dazzling treasuries of the Sikh Kingdoms, the romantic artworks of visiting European dignitaries, and the serenity of Sikh sacred architecture all provide doorways to this heroic and revolutionary faith.
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.
Sikh Art and Literature is a colourful, heartfelt, and informative introduction to the Sikh culture. Anyone interested in gaining a full understanding of Sikh faith and culture will be drawn to and enchanted by this book.

About the Author
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.

Dr Emily Sano, Patwant Singh, Dr Narinder Singh Kapany, Dr Gursharan Singh Sidhu, Dr Robert J.Del Bonta, Susan Stronge, Dr Henry J.Walker, Professor Gobind Singh Mansukhani, Dr Harbans Lal, Dr Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, Dr Surjit Singh Dulai, Ardaman Singh, Dr Nirvirkar Singh, and Dr Abdul Jabbar.

Customer Reviews

Sounded promising but �..
I ordered this book with great excitement - it promised so much. However I cannot describe the disappointment, actually I can and here it is: Published by the Sikh Foundation (who are they?) and edited by Kerry Brown (who is he?) it contains a number of papers delivered at an academic conference some years ago - in many respects a worthy and vital addition to the body of research into Sikh heritage. However it should really have remained an academic conference and a collection of papers - this is not a book. The writing, with a few notable exceptions (Sidhu, Lal and Stronge), is simply not accessible to most readers of this book. Most of the academics that have been asked to contribute seem to have some other agenda in the forefront of their minds. In one hilarious chapter on Sikh architecture, the writer (who clearly has a deep and passionate interest in Greek and Roman Architecture) seems to forget that he is writing for a Sikh audience and then casually remarks that there are some parallels and then goes on to finish his chapter about Early Greek temple architecture - very very weird. Before I look at the more redeeming features - the poor quality of the book's design and presentation must be noted. In 1999 there was an outpouring of excellent Sikh publications (Patent Singh's The Sikhs, Warrior Saints, The Sikhs (Tiger Press), Psyche of the Soul and most notably the catalogue to the Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms (Ed Susan Stronge)) These books have gone a long way in redefining the quality of Sikh publications. 'Sikh Art and Literature' however belongs to the Hemkunt Press school of publishing - this is a very cheaply produced book. The reproduction of the images is very poor indeed, most of the images are pixelated, blurred or just badly re produced. Some of the pictures are just plain embarrassing - it is worth paying for the book just to see the Polaroid of Khushawnt Singh ! This is not a book for the coffee table or your shelf This lack of attention to detail shows nothing but contempt for the subject matter and the unsuspecting reader. This is clearly a publication aimed at cashing in on the boom for Sikh books in 1999- well you got me! I hope that you don't fool too many others.

Self serving rather than directed at the subject matter
I had heard only bad things about this book. It does indeed live up to it's reputation of being poorly and cheaply produced. It promises to be 'illustrated with some of the earliest and finest Sikh paintings' which it has - but the reproduction is so poor that they may as well not have bothered. There are some great pictures here but there are also lots of very important images missing - which only become apparent when viewed in conjunction with the catalogue if the Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms books. Even with the awful pictures - this book is still more art than literature. The writing (save one or two essays) is unimpressive, unstructured and above all not new. In one or two cases it is more self serving than directed towards the subject (The Sikh Foundation's president gets more mentions than the Sikh Guru's do!). The text overall would have been better published as the proceedings of an academic conference and consigned forever into the vaults of lofty academia - they serve no purpose being on a book shelf. In summary - a very feeble attempt at what is a beautiful and rich subject and one that is completely overshadowed by other publications this year.