In 31 essays of Courtesy of Criticism (Penguin Random House), translated by Kamalakar Bhat, Kirtinath Kurtkoti takes readers to Kannada’s rich traditions and transformations.

Kamalakar Bhat on ‘Courtesy of Criticism,’ his translation of Kannada writer Kirtinath Kurtkoti’s essays that reflect his decolonised framework of poetics, and literature’s emotional and aesthetic essence


The translation of criticism from Indian languages has historically been somewhat rare, but it has been gaining momentum in recent years. However, the translation of criticism from Indian languages into English is still not as common as the translation of fiction. Several factors contribute to this trend. Probably, the growing interest in literature — both in the original language and in translation — has spurred a greater focus on translating literary criticism as well. At the same time, more and more academic institutions and publishers are recognising the value of critical discourse from Indian languages and are making it accessible to a wider readership.

This brief preamble is necessary to underline the importance of Courtesy of Criticism: Selected Essays of Kirtinath Kurtkoti, edited and translated from Kannada by Kamalakar Bhat (Penguin Random House). Kirtinath Kurtkoti (1928-2003) belongs to the rare but powerful tradition of multilingual literary and cultural criticism in India. He was a kind of ‘guru’ to indomitable figures of Kannada literature, including Girish Karnad, U. R. Ananthamurthy, and D. R. Nagaraj — a renowned cultural critic, political commentator, and expert on medieval and modern Kannada poetry and the Dalit movement.

Karnad admitted that “reading Kirtinath Kurtkoti’s essays changed the course of my life.” Ananthamurthy said, “Kurtkoti’s work shines with a pure love for literature, free from prejudice or fear, and is therefore profound and truthful.” D. R. Nagaraj regarded Kurtkoti as “one of the most distinguished literary scholars in contemporary India.”

Literary history, theory and criticism

Kurtkoti’s oeuvre encompasses commentaries on the entire spectrum of Kannada literature, from the earliest extant writings to late twentieth-century works. His critical writings highlight the unique sensibility of Kannada literature, placing it in the broader context of Indian and world literature. His analytical framework is essentially comparative, offering close readings of works through a wider theoretical perspective. In this multilingual comparative framework, he drew upon his extensive familiarity with Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Sanskrit, English, and other European literatures, as well as Indian and European schools of philosophy and aesthetics.

Kamalakar Bhat, the translator of Courtesy of Criticism, is a professor and head of the Postgraduate Department of English at Ahmednagar College, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. He is an award-winning bilingual writer, columnist, and translator between English, Hindi, Marathi, and Kannada. He has published three collections of poetry and three collections of translated verse in Kannada, in addition to editing three books in English.

Also read: How Kannada classics find their way to modern readers through translation

Courtesy of Criticism, the first volume in the Chronicles series of non-fiction books from various Indian languages, an initiative of the Ashoka Centre for Translation — brings some of Kurtkoti’s most important essays on Kannada literature to non-Kannada readers. Divided into three sections — ‘Literary History’, ‘Literary Theory’, and ‘Literary Criticism’ — the book features 31 of Kurtkoti’s essential writings. The blurb of this invaluable volume states: “The book has a twofold purpose: to introduce readers to the significant body of Kurtkoti’s work and, through these essays, to highlight the different strands of the Kannada literary tradition. Courtesy of Criticism demonstrates the subtle ways in which a mind, enriched by its own traditions and eclectic literacy, can transcend the received structure of knowledge.”

Spanning 31 essays across the three sections, Kurtkoti takes readers through Kannada’s rich traditions and transformations while offering critical reflections on various authors, including an analysis of Da Ra Bendre’s contribution to a new poetic tradition. In this collection, Bhat presents a selection of essays that explore the intricate and complex nature of translation, emphasising its role in bridging cultural and linguistic divides.

Kurtkoti’s works are known for their deep engagement with the philosophy of translation, critiquing the challenges faced by translators in capturing not just the words but also the essence and cultural nuances of the original text. This volume serves as a critical resource for understanding the complexities of translating literature in a postcolonial, multilingual world. It also invites readers to reflect on how translation shapes the literary canon, making this collection indispensable for those interested in the intersection of language, literature, and cultural criticism.

Literature-oriented method of criticism

In his introduction, Bhat writes: “Courtesy of Criticism is a significant work that not only introduces Kurtkoti’s literary contributions but also deepens readers’ understanding of the Kannada literary tradition through history, theory, and criticism. The essays collected here represent exemplary instances of a method of literary and cultural criticism that is keenly aware of international critical discourses as well as local literary and philosophical traditions that span centuries and millennia. It is a method capable of infusing readers with enthusiasm for literary texts and expanding their intellectual horizons, built on extensive familiarity with diverse linguistic, literary, cultural, and philosophical traditions and texts.”

Asked what motivated him to translate Kurtkoti’s work, Bhat explained: “Throughout my study of Kannada literature, three anecdotes about Kirtinath Kurtkoti — frequently retold by various writers — caught my attention. These stories positioned Kurtkoti as a central figure in Kannada literary culture: as the custodian and interpreter of D. R. Bendre’s poetry; as an Ezra Pound-like mentor to Girish Karnad’s first play, Yayati; and as the linchpin of the legendary literary conversations held in the attic of Manohara Grantha Mala in Dharwad.”

“Alongside these, there were accounts of his profound erudition, his remarkable ability to quote lines and passages from memory — from the works of Kalidasa, Kumaravyasa, and Bendre —and his intimate understanding of literary texts. This left me wondering: who was Kurtkoti, and what made him so extraordinary? Compelled by this curiosity, I began reading a few essays from an anthology of his works. These essays revealed a cultivated, patient, passionate, and profoundly honest voice. Kurtkoti’s writing was free of intellectual bravado, performative erudition, personal biases, or sly asides. His focus was entirely on literary meaning,” adds Bhat.

“I found in his approach a rare freshness — a genuinely literature-oriented method of criticism that engaged with social, political, and philosophical questions entirely through their literary articulation. His approach to literary history is exemplary; rather than adhering to a chronological arrangement of data on Kannada literature, he provides an intimate exploration of major writers and their works from the 9th to the 20th century, tracing common patterns, highlighting evolving trends, and uncovering subtle shifts and developments in literary themes and emphasis,” says Bhat.

A way to experience literature rasa

Bhat continued his reflections on Kurtkoti’s works: “As I delved deeper into his writings, I discovered a critical voice well-versed in a vast array of literary, philosophical, and critical traditions from India and the West. Kurtkoti’s reflections engaged — directly or indirectly — with literary personalities such as T. S. Eliot, Matthew Arnold, F. R. Leavis, I. A. Richards, Roland Barthes, Saussure, and Derrida, while simultaneously drawing on Indian thinkers such as Bharata, Anandavardhana, Bhartrhari, and Abhinavagupta.”

“He analysed works by major Sanskrit writers like Kalidasa, Bhasa, Bana Bhatta, and Bhavabhuti, as well as Gujarati novelist K. M. Munshi, Bengali writers Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and Marathi novelist Hari Narayan Apte, among others — seamlessly integrating debates from history, philosophy, and linguistics into his essays. His works stimulated multidimensional thinking while guiding readers through the labyrinths of literary meaning,” Bhat added.

Admitting that he initially misread Kurtkoti’s approach — being more accustomed to the assertive style of academic literary criticism — Bhat confessed that he had hastily concluded Kurtkoti was opposed to Euro-American influence, excessively partial to the Sanskrit literary canon, and largely critical of modernity. He clarified: “After some time, I understood that Kurtkoti did not reject Euro-American theories outright but resisted interpreting literature solely through a singular, monochromatic Western lens. Instead, he worked towards developing a decolonised framework of poetics — one that expanded and revitalised native traditions while engaging in dialogue with global developments.”

“His language and tone, meticulously crafted, transcended the arid academic criticism of his time and deviated from the Western tradition of presenting literary analysis as purely logical prose. Instead, he offered a mode of studying literature that retained its rasa—its profound emotional and aesthetic essence. For Kurtkoti, literary criticism was not merely an intellectual exercise but also a way of experiencing and sharing the deep rasa that literature holds,” said Bhat.

Kurtkoti’s commitment to cultural enrichment

“Over time, however, I recognised that Kurtkoti’s criticism, much like great literature, resists simplistic conclusions. His nuanced voice does not impose but invites readers to think with him — an approach I came to admire as ethically superior for a literary critic. I also realised that he refrained from infusing his literary criticism with fashionable socio-political opinions; instead, he focused on exploring social, political, and philosophical ideas entirely through the lens of literary meaning,” said Bhat.

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He further added: “Reading Kurtkoti’s work across decades, I noticed his evolving voice growing richer yet simpler, more accessible yet denser, offering insights that reward repeated readings. I observed how his writing responded to international trends in literary criticism —from modernist frameworks like those of Eliot and Leavis to structuralism, poststructuralism, and cultural studies. Yet he never mimicked these frameworks. His response was deeply rooted in and aimed at extending the traditions of Sanskrit and Kannada poetics.”

Explaining why he became enamoured with the persona of Kurtkoti, Bhat asserted: “Kurtkoti’s writings reveal a commitment to cultural enrichment and intellectual sophistication. From his early concept of Yugadharma to his exploration of Pratyabhijna and Krama, and his emphasis on continuity, he situated literary meaning within the expansive framework of culture, history, and human experience. Yet he never allows readers to lose sight of the fact that this meaning is achieved through literature itself — not through slogans and ideological opinions. Kurtkoti continuously underscores that literature is a gateway to cultural vitality, negotiating diverse mnemonic tools such as history, Purana, politics, and narrative. At the heart of his reflections is a reminder that running through all these elements is rasa — the emotional and aesthetic essence of literature, which he sees as its ultimate and defining quality.”

‘Translation, too, has its politics’

On what made him opt to translate criticism, Bhat said: “Well, when I began translating from Kannada to English, I primarily translated poetry. I translated S. Manjunath, Jayant Kaikini, Abdul Rasheed, B. M. Bashir, N. K. Hanumanthaiah, Mogalli Ganesh, H. S. Shivaprakash, H. S. Anupama, K. Sharifa, U. R. Ananthamurthy, Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy, Savitha Nagabhushana, Alanahalli Krishna, among others. This has grown to include a very large number of poets, both recent and old. I translated some essays by K. P. Poornachandra Tejaswi and some stories by Ashok Hegde. I have completed book-length translations of many major writers, but they are yet to find publishers. Thus, I turned to literary criticism only recently, perhaps with Kurtkoti.”

On the challenge of translating Kurtkoti’s works, he said: “Capturing his tone. He deliberately cultivated a non-academic and accessible style of writing criticism, in which he invites readers into an intimate conversation. He also seems to raise criticism to the level of creative writing in its aesthetic appeal. Capturing the subtle manner in which this happens in his Kannada is not easy.” Bhat added that it took him nearly a year to translate Courtesy of Criticism. Presently, Bhat is busy translating various kinds of writing, both from Kannada to English and from English, Hindi, and Marathi into Kannada. His translation work includes stories, novels, criticism, and a lot of poetry. He has also translated many young Kannada male and female poets. “If my health permits, I would like to translate as many Kannada writers as possible,” he smiled.

When asked about the perception that the translation of Indian-language works into English is often political, he argued that translation turns political because it is deemed to involve power, representation, and selective storytelling. Bhat admitted: “I do not have enough data on my hands to answer that. I also haven’t thought about these issues much. I do not know who all are translated and who are not. I am often surprised to discover that some author or some text, which I thought had never been translated, actually has been. But generally, I agree with you that, as in every walk of life, translation too has its own politics.”

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