This play was one of the first examples of Indian literature to be seen
in Europe; it attracted considerable attention (among others, from
Goethe), and indeed pained surprise that such a sophisticated art-form
could have developed without the rest of the world noticing. A good deal
of that surprise will be revived by the hitherto untranslated Kashmirian
recension.
Kali-dasa's The Recognition of Shakúntala is a play that scarcely
needs introduction. Among the first works of Sanskrit literature
translated into European languages, its skilful plot of thwarted love
and eventual redemption has long charmed audiences around the world.
Shakúntala's story is a leitmotiv that recurs in many works of Indian
literature and culminates in the master Kali-dasa's drama for the
stage.
Co-published by New York University Press and the JJC Foundation
For more on this title and other titles in the Clay Sanskrit series,
please visit http: //www.claysanskritlibrary.org