The Playworld of Sanskrit Drama

by Robert E. Goodwin

The `Playworld of Sanskrit Drama` is the `poetic universe` (kavyasam) posited by Anandavardhana and other poeticians. Each of the seven plays studied here - works of Bhasa, Kalidasa, Sudraka, and Visakhadatta- provides us with a different angle of approach to the crucial issues of kavya, and their fundamental ambivalence, which cannot be understood or even delineated by the conventional approach to Indian aesthetics. About the Author :Robert E. (Steve) Goodwin first studied Sanskrit as an undergraduate at San Francisco state University in 1978 in order to gain linguistic prespective on Latin and Greek. As a graduate student at Brown University he fell prey to the fascinations of Sanskrit literature and became the first student thee to recieve a combined Ph.D. in classics and Sanskrit (1986). He remained at Brown as a Lecturer, teaching Sanskrit courses and Sanskrit Literature in translation, until 1993. REVIEW: "Goodwin`s long experience as a teacher of Sanskrit literature and his deep understanding of the Indian culture complex is evident througout the book. It will no doubt form an importnat contribution to this field of study... a fascinating and different approach of Sanskrit poetics."` ROBERT E. GOODWIN