A sequel to Part I titled The First Floods, this book is an English translation of Tamil Ponniyin Selvan authored by Kalki R Krishnamurthy. It is now widely acknowledged that ‘Kalki’ was the first Tamil writer who used the ancient history of famous Tamil dynasties and the region as the background of attractive stories. ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ which deals with the life of Rajaraja Chozhan is the last of the three great novels, the other two being ‘Parthiban Kanavu’ and ‘Sivakamiyin Sabadam’.The best historical writing requires not only a precise knowledge of the incidents or facts that laborious research has collected, but the capacity to weave the matter so as to form a lasting fabric, which discloses character and motive. Imagination is thus no less necessary to the writer of novels as it is to a historian. A novel which is not true to life will kill itself. It is this aspect of ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ which fascinated the translator to undertake this project. The book attempts to capture the grandeur of the original.The Cyclone is the second part of Ponniyin Selvan. Parts three, four and five of this work will soon be available.
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