Etched in Gold

<p></p><p class=ql-align-justify><strong style=color: rgba(34 34 34 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>A triumph of storytelling. Srinivasan bridges past and present crafting a novel that honours women's resilience artistry and intellectual legacy.</strong></p><p><span style=color: rgba(20 20 19 1)>--Shankari Chandran winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2023.</span></p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>A 1630 Sanskrit biography of a Tanjore king etched on palm leaves. A 1620 trade pact between the kings of Tanjore and Denmark recoded on a shimmering gold foil. Overlooking the shores of Tranquebar in south India a Danish fort stands as a silent sentinel to these lost alliances echoing tales of ambition and power and the unexpected intertwining of worlds.</span></p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Two women enliven this forgotten piece of history.</em></p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Amba in 1610 Tanjore </strong><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>a gifted composer and temple musician gets drawn into a world of politics power and peril when she catches the eye of the Tanjore king. The docking of a Danish ship in Tanjore propels Amba on a tumultuous journey of political intrigue and emotional hardship. She perseveres through every challenge and documents the life and reign of King Raghu Nayaka on palm leaves in Sanskrit.  </span></p><p></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Maya in 2010 Sydney </strong><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>a carnatic musician from Chennai finds herself creatively stifled in Sydney Australia. While on a soul-searching trip through Tanjore Maya discovers a gripping biography of a Tanjore king left behind by his contemporary a female scholar and composer. Amba's life as a temple musician in 17th century Tanjore strikes a chord that awakens Maya's voice to reshape her own destiny.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Etched in Gold is a novel about cultural memory artistic defiance and the enduring legacy of women's voices.  The novel </span><strong>was</strong><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> shortlisted for the Penguin Random House Australia Write It Fellowship 2023. </strong></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Etched in Gold transported me to a distant place and time and made me feel like I belonged. Highly recommended.</strong></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>                  --Pamela Hart Award winning Historical Novelist</span></p><p></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>I identified with Maya in contemporary Sydney who struggled with her craft of music. Maya helped me understand Amba in Tanjore in 1610 who was facing similar creative and personal struggles.</strong></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>A wonderful character-driven book.</strong></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>--Cathie Tasker Editor and Creative Writing Teacher</span></p><p></p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify></p>