‘I invite you, dear reader, to enter this beautiful world. I invite you to fall in love.’

The Book of Desire is the award-winning writer Meena Kandasamy’s luminous translation of the Kamattu-p-pal, a 2000-year-old song of female love and desire.

The Kamattu-p-pal is the most intimate section of the Tirukkural – one of the most important texts in Tamil literature. Its verses rejoice in the pleasures of sex, beauty and all aspects of love. Although hundreds of male translations of the text have been published, it has also ever been translated by a woman once before. It is also, historically, the part that has been most heavily censored.

The Book of Desire is Meena Kandasamy’s own feminist reclamation of this great work. With her trademark wit, lyricism and insight, she weaves a magic spell: ensuring this timeless classic feels fresh and passionate. It fizzes with energy and joy – and tells a vital story about female agency and desire. It is a revolution 2000 years in the making.