George L. Hart

Who is George L. Hart?

George L. Hart is a professor of Tamil language at the University of California, Berkeley.

Hart received his Ph.D. in Sanskrit from Harvard University and taught Sanskrit at the University of Wisconsin–Madison before joining the faculty at Berkeley. Professor Hart was responsible for inaugurating the Tamil department at Berkley. He has studied Latin and Greek as well as several modern European and Indian languages.

Hart is best known for his translations of several Tamil epics into English and for asserting that Tamil should be classified as a classical language, which is stated clearly in a letter addressed to Professor Maraimalai on April 11, 2000. On September 18, 2004 the Indian Union Cabinet recognized Tamil as a classical language. For The Four Hundred Songs of War and Wisdom Hart, along with co-author Hank Heifetz, was the recipient of the AAS South Asia Council Ramanujan Book Prize in 2002. The book is a translation of Purananuru. His book The Poems of The Tamil Anthologies was nominated for The American Book Award.

Hart is also the author of several Tamil and Sanskrit textbooks. He is married to Kausalya Hart, herself a professor and Tamil textbook author.