Infant Emperor

PART SIX OF A SCINTILLATING NEW TRANSLATION OF THE CLASSIC TAMIL NOVEL.

The storm has passed-but the shadows have only deepened. Grief sweeps through Chozha Naadu and the whispers of intrigue grow louder.

Where is Prince Arulmozhi Varman? Is he truly dead?

As the search for the prince continues, a new mystery rises: an infant of unknown origin, speaking in riddles that chill the bravest hearts. 'The fish will eat the tiger,' he says-what omen hides within those words? Meanwhile, in the royal court, Madurantaka Devar presses his claim to the throne, even as his mother, the pious and noble Sembiyan Mahadevi, stands firmly against him. What secrets from her past bind her silence-and could they unravel the very foundations of the Chozha dynasty?

As long-buried truths come to light, alliances will crumble and faith will falter. And through it all, one question will remain: Who-or what-can break the web of treachery tightening around Chozha Naadu?

About the Author

'Kalki' is the pen name of Ramaswamy Krishnamurthy (1899-1954), whose career in writing and journalism began as activism during the struggle for Indian independence. He served as editor of the popular Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan before launching Kalki.

About the Translator

Nandini Krishnan is the author of Hitched: The Modern Woman and Arranged Marriage and Invisible Men: Inside India's Transmasculine Networks. She has translated two of Perumal Murugan's works into English: Estuary and Four Strokes of Luck. She was shortlisted for the PEN Presents translation prize 2022 and the Ali Jawad Zaidi Memorial Prize for translation from Urdu 2022. She is an alumna of the Writer's Bloc playwrights' workshop by the Royal Court Theatre, London. Her novel-in-manuscript was a winner of the Caravan Writers of India Festival contest and showcased at the Writers of the World Festival, Paris, 2014.