Felix Otter
A Course in Reading Classical Newari
Selections from the Vetālapañcaviṃśati
A Course in Reading Classical Newari is intended for all who wish to acquire a basic knowledge of this acutely understudied language. The first part of the book provides an introduction to the phonology, morphology, and syntax of Classical Newari on the basis of the literary language of the late 17th century. Part two consists of twelve annotated reading passages that have been taken from various manuscripts of the as yet unedited Newari version of one of the most popular texts of the South Asian narrative tradition, the Vetālapañcaviṃśati. Appended to the book are a key to the exercises, translations of the reading passages, an index of verb forms, and a glossary.
Felix Otter (*1978) studied Indology, Tibetology and Political Science in Marburg and received his doctorate in languages and cultures of modern South Asia in Halle. Since 2012 he has been working as a senior lecturer at the Department of Indology and Tibetology at the Philipps University of Marburg.