Galley Beggar falls for Kandasamy's Book of Desire

Galley Beggar Press has landed The Book of Desire, Meena Kandasamy’s "feminist intervention and reclamation" of an ancient classical Indian text. 

The publisher acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada and India, from David Godwin at David Godwin Associates. 

The Book of Desire is Kandasamy’s translation of the Kāmattu-p-pāl, the third part of the Thirukkural – a classical work over 2,000 years old, and among the most important texts in Tamil literature. Authored by the poet Thiruvalluvar, widely regarded as a sacred verse’and a treatise on the art of living, the Kāmattu-p-pāl focuses on love. It has also historically been the most heavily censored section of the text.

"In The Book of Desire, Meena Kandasamy has undertaken her own feminist intervention and reclamation – and the result is a fresh, utterly modern translation; one that fizzes with energy, is sure to surprise and delight readers, and also conveys powerful messages about female sensuality, agency, and desire," the synopsis explains.

Sam Jordison, co-director of the press, said: “Meena’s translation is full of passion and verve – and we love it. We’re also very proud to be working on this feminist and uncensored reclamation of such an important text. The Book of Desire is serious fun. It’s book that has real resonance, weight and cultural significance. It’s also just a genuine pleasure to read. It’s surprising, it’s unabashed and unashamed – and it’s lovely. It’s the kind of book that you would just love to be bought by someone who loves you. We know that it will entrance readers.”

“This is the first time that we will have published a work of poetry,” added fellow director Eloise Millar. “The whole thing has taken us by surprise. It wasn’t the kind of book that we’d considered before. But we had the good luck to be sent Meena’s manuscript. And the truth is, just as soon as we started reading, we just thought: how can we possibly say no? We’ve also been huge fans of Meena’s ever since we read her novel When I Hit You – for her beautiful writing, her politics, and the immense generosity that shines through in everything she does – so to be publishing her, with what feels like important work, really does feel like an honour.”

 Kandasamy currently resides in south India. A poet, fiction writer, political activist and translator, her first novel, When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife (Europa Editions), was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize in 2018.

“I first encountered the verses of the Thirukkural as a teenager,” Kandasamy said. “I was twelve or thirteen and my father gave this book to me saying, this contains all you need to know in life. He probably meant the sections about the importance of friendship or learning, or whatever cultural knowledge it is that parents want to impart. But my attention quickly turned to the third section… The Kāmattu-p-pāl is special to me in ways I struggle to describe. I grew up without a television in my house, I had never been to the cinema, never watched a film. But this book was there. Even before I knew what it was to fall in love.”

 Galley Beggar will be publishing The Book of Desire in January 2023.