The Tamil translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey, the two Greek epics of Homer, were released on Wednesday by M.P. Saminathan, Minister for Tamil Development, Information and Publicity.
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It was part of the project, launched by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, to translate and publish international classics into Tamil. The International Institute of Tamil Studies is in charge of the project.
Professor Marudanayagam has rendered The Iliad into Tamil in prose form, while Pon Chinnathambi Murugesan, a former government employee at the Secretariat, has translated The Odyssey into Tamil in verse form. Both books cost ₹1,300. “Portions of these books were translated in the past, and this is for the first time that both works are available in Tamil,” said Arul Natarajan, Director of the Tamil Development Department. Tamil Scholar A. Ku. Aditar published The Iliad as Iliyam in Tamil 70 years ago. Vipulananda Adigal has also done the translation.
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“Mr. Murugesan has consulted these two translations and translated The Odyssey. In translating the work, he has conformed to Tamil prosody. He has followed the rhythms of various forms of viruttam, venba, and long poems of asiriyappa, kalivenba and kalitthazhisai,” Mr. Arul Natarajan said.
Mr. Murugesan earlier translated Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Roots by Alex Haley and The Travels of Marco Polo.
Secretary of the Information Department R. Selvaraj and director of the International Institute of Tamil Studies Gopinath Natarajan participated at the event.