Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: New Books in Biography & Memoir
Episode: Suganya Anandakichenin, "The Monsoon Cloud: Poet KÄáž·amÄkam and His Irreverent Poetry" (Primus, 2024)
Description: A wordsmith, an extempore poet and a satirist, KÄáž·amÄkam (also known as KÄáž·amÄka Pulavar; fifteenth century) is widely known for his taá¹ippÄá¹als or 'self-contained verses', on a panoply of topics. These splendid but notoriously provocative verses were composed during a transitional phase of Tamil literature, by now in deep conversation with Sanskrit poetics and poetic language, thereby yielding an incredibly rich and innovative poetry. KÄáž·amÄkam sings of courtesans, fellow humans, of gods, of animals, praises them, derides them, and insults them, using sarcasm, dry wit, and criticism, combined with Åleá¹£as and yamakas, samasyÄ...