Kalidasa?s status as the major poet and dramatist in classicl Sanskrit literature is unquestioned. Possibly the first translation into English in its entirity, Chandra Rajan fulfills a long-felt need and makes these classics accessible to a much wider audience. Her introduction serves to place the text in their context and suggests ways of looking at them singly and as part of the ouevre. The first volume is devoted to the poems, while the second contains the plays.