Kutiyattam, the only surviving live Sanskrit theatre in the world, was defined by UNESCO as 'a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity'. Full performances--almost always a single act taken from a multi-act Sanskrit play--range from 12 to 150 hours (in daily or nightly segments of several hours each) and display an aesthetic brilliance and dizzying complexity that are almost beyond description. Each such act constitutes an artistic whole with its own conceptual and thematic unity. This book reflects the work of the Hebrew University Kutiyattam team and of their colleagues from Tubingen, Paris, Groningen, and elsewhere, over many years of annual pilgrimages to Kerala to watch and study this art in action. It offers interpretations of seven classical performances in the light of the actors' traditional handbooks (Attaprakaram), the Sanskrit base text, and the artists' oral commentary that emerged naturally in the course of many days of attentive viewing.

ISBN 13: 9789355720375

ISBN 10: 9355720378

Year: 2022

Language: ENGLISH

Pages etc.: xiv+208p., (4)b/w illus., (16)col. pls., bib., ind., 25cm.

Binding: Hardbound

Subject(s): Literature