Overview

Part fiction, history, and mythology, this unconventional retelling of the life of divine spiritual master Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh religion and revered by Muslims and Hindus alike, provides an intimate look at the enlightened Guru while bringing his ancient wisdom to a modern audience. From the best-selling author of Ganesha Goes to Lunch and Rumi’s Tales from the Silk Road comes an original novel about the life and travels of Guru Nanak, a musician, enlightened thinker, and one of the most beloved figures in Eastern spirituality.  In this fascinating book, Kamla K. Kapur weaves together facts, legends, folktales, myths, and over forty of Guru Nanak’s poems—preserved in the Sikh holy book, the Granth Sahib—to form this captivating depiction of the leader’s life. From being seduced by deadly women to almost getting eaten by cannibals, the exciting account presented in The Singing Guruincludes moral tales without being proselytizing. Factual details are intermingled with fantasy to produce a symbolic portrait in which humor and imagination combine to convey a profound and entertaining spiritual narrative.

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9781608875030

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Reviews

Kamla Kapur has created a Sikh parallel of Homer's Odyssey in the re-imagining of its founder's spiritual journey, cleverly recounted in the voice of an impish acolyte. As with that work, the prose melts into melifluous poetry, music to the soul. In company with the Sikh spiritual leader, Guru Nanak, we travel from magical place to magical place throughout India and are reminded again and again of what values should inform our life. You wait until the saga is over to exhale and still wish there were more. A ripping read. --Thomas Hoover, author of Zen Culture and The Moghul Kamla Kapur chooses an innovative and wondrous way of retelling the eternal truths contained in the life and teachings of Guru Nanak. Her simple, melodious narrative depicts common human frailties and deep philosophical complexities with equal ease: The Singing Guru will delight the mind even as it enlightens the spirit. --Navtej Sarna, author of The Book of Nanak and The Exile Rich imagination, anchored by the spirit of the Janamsakhi tradition, brings alive the story of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism. Kamla Kapur has written a gripping book in a style that is both simple and lucid. Her reinterpretation of the Janamsakhis should find wide resonance among readers. --Roopinder Singh, author of Guru Nanak: His Life and Teachings The Singing Guru is simply superb! --Surjit Patar, renowned Punjabi poet The Singing Guru is a fascinating reconstruction of the Purantan Janamsakhi tradition. I teach a course on South Asian Literary Cultures and a work like this would make an engaging text for students to read. --Harpreet Singh, Department of South Asian Studies, Harvard University I am filled with utmost happiness in my heart going through The Singing Guru and discovering a way to enlightenment. We can only imagine Guru Nanak singing 500 years ago, and I congratulate the author on her wonderful, enthusiastic story and the underlying music that fills it. --Hans Raj Hans, Punjabi Rock star and Sufi singer

Kamla Kapur has created a Sikh parallel of Homer's Odyssey in the re-imagining of its founder's spiritual journey, cleverly recounted in the voice of an impish acolyte. As with that work, the prose melts into melifluous poetry, music to the soul. In company with the Sikh spiritual leader, Guru Nanak, we travel from magical place to magical place throughout India and are reminded again and again of what values should inform our life. You wait until the saga is over to exhale and still wish there were more. A ripping read. --Thomas Hoover, author of Zen Culture and The Moghul

Author Information

Kamla K. Kapur is well known in her native India as a poet, author, and playwright. Her previous work includes Ganesha Goes to Lunch (2007) and Rumi’s Tales from the Silk Road (2009). Kapur has also published two books of poetry, As a Fountain in a Garden and Radha Speaks, numerous short stories, and a series of award winning plays. Kapur was on the faculty of Grossmont College in San Diego, California, for eighteen years and taught courses in play writing, poetry, creative nonfiction, fiction, mythology, Shakespeare, and women’s literature. She and her husband, Payson Stevens, divide their time living in the Kullu Valley in the Indian Himalayas and in Southern California. Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh is Professor of Religious Studies at Colby College. She holds the Crawford Family endowed chair. She has published extensively in the field of Sikhism. Her views have also been aired on television and radio around the world. She serves as a trustee for the American Institute for Indian Studies, and is on the editorial board of the History of Religions.

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