In 2013 we’ll be releasing the first books of The Murty Classical Library of India, a new series intended to present the literary cultures of India to a global readership in an unprecedented manner. The Murty Classical Library of India (MCLI), established in 2010 through an endowment gift from Rohan Narayana Murty and the Murty family of Bangalore, India, will provide new English-language translations of works written in Bangla, Hindi, Pali, Panjabi, Persian, Sanskrit, Tamil, and other Indic languages, with the original text on the facing page.
A new series needs a new look, and the MCLI presents unique design challenges. We need to get it right. So, today we’re very excited to invite submissions of designs for the Murty Classical Library of India. Harvard University Press Executive Editor-at-Large Sharmila Sen noted, “Because the Murty family founded the MCLI in order to bring the rich literary heritage of India to the entire world, it is especially fitting that we issue an open invitation to generate a design for this landmark series.”
The designer of the winning series logo, logotype, and jacket design will receive 10,000 USD and jacket credit on all books in the series. Designs may be submitted between September 1 and December 1, 2011. Residents of, and design firms based in, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and India are eligible to enter. Design specifications and contest rules are posted here.
On its establishment last year, Harvard Professor of Economics and Philosophy Amartya Sen expressed his appreciation for the MCLI. “There are few intellectual gaps in the world that are as glaring as the abysmal ignorance of Indian classics in the Western world. It is wonderful that the Murty Classical Library of India is taking up the challenge of filling this gap, through a new commitment of the Harvard University Press, backed by the discerning enthusiasm of the Murty family, and the excellent leadership of Sheldon Pollock — an outstanding Sanskritist and classical scholar. This will be a big contribution to advancing global understanding that is so much needed in the world today.”
We’re accepting design submissions through December 1st. All details are available via the MCLI website, www.murtylibrary.com
Please help us spread the word.
