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Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma

author, poet, teacher, and performer

  • Books
    • THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
    • The Safety of Edges
    • Give, Eat, and Live: Poems of Avvaiyar
    • Body and Earth
    • A Feast for the Tongue
    • Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Páramo
    • Other Writings
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The 11th World Tamil Conference

August 28, 2023

It was an enormous honor and delight to get to speak at the 11th World Tamil Conference in Kuala Kumpur, Malaysia, in July 2023.

Here are a few pictures! Click on the images to see them at full size.

I was amazed and humbled by how people have responded to several interviews that I gave during the conference. For those who know Tamil, here are a few links.

I’m hoping to upload a few of these videos to my YouTube channel and add English subtitles. Once I do, you’ll be able to find them on this page as well.

More about my Kural translation
I’d like a copy of the Kural!

Tamil Literary Garden Awards Ceremony

June 11, 2023

I was honored and delighted to speak in Toronto for the annual awards ceremony of the Tamil Literary Garden. Paavannan and L. Murugapoopathy received lifetime achievement awards, and we also celebrated the work of Velmurugan Elango, Samraj, Sukirtharani, Sivasankari, and V. N. Giritharan.

Here are a few pictures! Click on the images to see them at full size.

More about my Kural translation
I’d like a copy of the Kural!

A Greeting for the 11th World Tamil Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

May 30, 2023

I’m deeply honored to be participating in the 11th World Tamil Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 21-23, 2023, in which I’ll be speaking about my English translation of the Kural: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural.

Watch on YouTube and turn on the captions for an English translation of this greeting in Tamil.

I invite you to learn more about my translation of the Kural as well as my translation of Avvaiyar, issued in a second edition in 2022 by Red Hen Press.

More about the Kural
I’d like a copy!

REMEMBERING TO FORGET: The Kural and Living Fully

May 17, 2023

I was delighted to write about verse 108 from the Kural in the wonderful online magazine The Porch: A Slow Conversation about Beautiful and Difficult Things.

You can read the essay here:

https://www.theporchcommunity.net/essays/2023/5/16/remembering-to-forget-the-kural-and-living-fully-thomas-hitoshi-pruiksma

You can also listen to verse 108 here:

108
Forgetting good done is not good—forgetting at once
What is not good—good

நன்றி மறப்பது நன்றன்று நன்றல்லது
அன்றே மறப்பது நன்று

From chapter 11, “Gratitude.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston

More about the book
I’d like a copy!

Life and Learning in Harmony: A Tribute to Dr. K. V. Ramakoti

May 10, 2023

For Teacher Appreciation Week, I was honored to write about my Tamil teacher, the late Dr. K. V. Ramakoti, in the award-winning blog of Beacon Press, Beacon Broadside.

Without Dr. Ramakoti, I would never have dared to translate the Kural, let alone to teach about it and introduce it to English-speaking readers and leaders.

You can read the essay on the Beacon Broadside website: https://www.beaconbroadside.com/broadside/2023/05/life-and-learning-in-harmony-a-tribute-to-dr-k-v-ramakoti.html

More about the book
I’d like a copy!

Astonishing Glory at Singapore’s Tamil Cholai

April 23, 2023

I was delighted to speak about the beauty in and of the Kural for the first anniversary of the National Library Board’s Tamil Cholai in Singapore.

Here are a few pictures! Click on the images to see them at full size.

More about my Kural translation
I’d like a copy of the Kural!

Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre

April 23, 2023

I was delighted to get to visit the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre and speak with students about the Kural during my recent stay in Singapore for the 2023 Tamil Language Festival.

Here are a few pictures! Click on the images to see them at full size.

More about my Kural translation
I’d like a copy of the Kural!

2023 Tamil Language Festival in Singapore

April 23, 2023

For people who know Tamil, here’s a 2-minute glimpse into my recent appearance in Singapore for the 2023 Tamil Language Festival.

Click on the image below or visit: https://seithi.mediacorp.sg/singapore/japanese-american-speaks-tamil-660941

More about the Kural
I’d like a copy of the Kural!

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