Titled "A Kingdom For His Love," the fiction co-authored by Vani Mahesh and Shinie Antony is a retelling of a Sanskrit play 'Swapnavasavadattam', by one of the earliest and most celebrated playwrights Bhasa.
The story explores the timeless romance of King Udayana and princess Vasavadatta from rival kingdoms set in an ancient era. Udayana, the ruler of Kausambi renowned for his magical Veena, Ghoshavati, which when played by him can subdue even the wildest creature is tricked and captured by members of the rival kingdom Ujjaini.
"Romance cutting across languages and geographical barriers is a known fact. But, romance is endowed with a quality to cut across eras as well. This story is a perfect testimony to that," Shriya Ghate, editor of ACK Books said.
Commenting on her retelling of the classic age-old romance, co-author Antony said, "The book is all about love's sudden appearance, its ups and downs, its sheer force. The path of true love for this king, for this princess, never runs smooth. Right from the moment their eyes meet for the first time till they live happily ever after, it is all about love."
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"The story of Udayana and Vasavadatta has been one of my favourites since I first read it in an ACK comic as a child... I had a great time making a novel out of this short play."
Editor Ghate said that new fiction will herald a new chapter in Indian storytelling and that more works are being done to promote "Indic story telling".
"We are collaborating with India's best writers to produce a diverse and rich tapestry of books, each unique and connected to the Indic story telling narrative. Stories with both modern and ancient inspirations can be enjoyed by young and old alike" she said.