Sikh Art and Literature

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.
'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