2000 Years of Mayan Literature - by Dennis Tedlock (Paperback)

About the Book

"Never before has anyone focused so successfully on the literary genius of these ancient authors. Tedlock is so much more than a translator, placing selected Mayan works in a continuous narrative that skillfully links authors from the third century to the sixteenth century with writers of today. An extremely important, original, and innovative work."--Martha J. Macri, coauthor of "The New Catalog of Maya Hieroglyphs," Volumes 1 and 2, and Director of the Maya Hieroglyphic Database Project, University of California, Davis
"A stunning recreation of the intellectual world of the ancient Maya, the only fully literate people of pre-Columbian America. Informed by the latest research on Maya hieroglyphic writing, art, and mythology, this beautifully illustrated and wonderfully readable work by an outstanding scholar should be on the bookshelf of all those interested in this fascinating civilization."--Michael Coe, author of "Breaking the Maya Code"
"This book is, like the ancient Maya texts and images it explores, a work of art."--David Freidel, co-author (with Linda Schele and Joy Parker) of "Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path"
"Literally breathtaking. A truly unprecedented gathering and translation of written Mayan texts. Tedlock is making visible, for the first time, a Mayan literature in comprehensible, meaningful form.""--Jerome Rothenberg, poet, author/editor of "Technicians of the Sacred" and "Poems for the Millennium"

Book Synopsis

Mayan literature is among the oldest in the world, spanning an astonishing two millennia from deep pre-Columbian antiquity to the present day. Here, for the first time, is a fully illustrated survey, from the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions to the works of later writers using the Roman alphabet. Dennis Tedlock-ethnographer, linguist, poet, and award-winning author-draws on decades of living and working among the Maya to assemble this groundbreaking book, which is the first to treat ancient Mayan texts as literature. Tedlock considers the texts chronologically. He establishes that women were among the ancient writers and challenges the idea that Mayan rulers claimed the status of gods. 2000 Years of Mayan Literature expands our understanding and appreciation not only of Mayan literature but of indigenous American literature in its entirety.

From the Back Cover

"Never before has anyone focused so successfully on the literary genius of these ancient authors. Tedlock is so much more than a translator, placing selected Mayan works in a continuous narrative that skillfully links authors from the third century to the sixteenth century with writers of today. An extremely important, original, and innovative work."--Martha J. Macri, coauthor of The New Catalog of Maya Hieroglyphs, Volumes 1 and 2, and Director of the Maya Hieroglyphic Database Project, University of California, Davis

"A stunning recreation of the intellectual world of the ancient Maya, the only fully literate people of pre-Columbian America. Informed by the latest research on Maya hieroglyphic writing, art, and mythology, this beautifully illustrated and wonderfully readable work by an outstanding scholar should be on the bookshelf of all those interested in this fascinating civilization."--Michael Coe, author of Breaking the Maya Code

"This book is, like the ancient Maya texts and images it explores, a work of art."--David Freidel, co-author (with Linda Schele and Joy Parker) of Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path

"Literally breathtaking. A truly unprecedented gathering and translation of written Mayan texts. Tedlock is making visible, for the first time, a Mayan literature in comprehensible, meaningful form.""--Jerome Rothenberg, poet, author/editor of Technicians of the Sacred and Poems for the Millennium

Review Quotes

"A revelatory book . . . beautifully illustrated and handsomely presented."-- "Scotsman" (3/27/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"[Tedlock] draws out the poetic quality of Maya writing and shows the vibrancy, changing and living qualities of Mayan writing."--Walter E. Little University at Albany, SUNY "Bltn Of Latin American Research" (12/21/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"A hefty scholarly work that reads like serialized magazine articles . . . quite accessible to the general reader."--David Steinberg "Albuquerque Journal" (3/14/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"If you're drawn to global cultures, languages and mythology, this is a cool book to explore."--David Crumm "Read The Spirit" (3/16/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"Imaginatively written, superbly illustrated, beautifully produced and, above all, highly authoritative. . . . For those seriously interested in Mayan writing, the book is a must-buy."--Andrew Robinson "Current World Archaeology" (5/15/2010 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Dennis Tedlock is Distinguished Professor and Endowed McNulty Chair of English and Research Professor of Anthropology at the University at Buffalo of the State University of New York. He won the PEN Translation Prize for Popol Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings. For his other books he has received awards from the American Folklore Society, the Society for Linguistic Anthropology, the Society for Humanistic Anthropology, and the Association of American Publishers.