RICE E.P., 1849-1936
Edward(Edmund?)
Peter Rice, (ಎಡ್ವರ್ಡ್
ಪೀಟರ್ ರಾಯಿಸ್) younger brother of Benjamin Louie Rice was a Christian
missionary and a teacher who served the cause of Kannada in more than one way. He
served as a missionary in
He has translated the old testament of the Bible in
to simple and chaste Kannada. He has also rendered in to Kannada the theological
texts of Moses as ‘Adikanda’ (1908) and ‘Yatrakanda’
(1909) He has written a biography of his father, B.H. Rice who lived in
Benjamin Rice or Fifty years in the Master's Service,
by his son Edmund P. Rice, B.A., Published by the Religious Tract Society, 192 pp.
The lasting contribution E.P.Rice
is his ‘A History of Kanarese Literature’. (1915) This is the first
attempt in writing the history of Kannada literature in any language. He gives a
broad outline of Kannada literature based on the texts available at that point on
time. The book is divided in to four parts called, Jaina,
Veerashaiva, Vaishnava and
modern.
Of course his pioneering effort is not well received
in the scholarly circles of Karnataka because he speaks rather disparagingly about
the contribution of Kannada to world literature. Naturally his views were vehemently
criticised and many scholars rose in
defence of Kannada literature and tried to present their case. The answers
given by Dr R.S.Mugali in his ‘Kannada
Sahitya Charitre’ (1956) are noteworthy.
References:
1. Rice, E.P. [1921] (1982). A
History of Kanarese Literature.
2. History of Kannada Literature,
R.S.Mugali, 1975,