Daily News - Books by Sri Lankans.

Readable Lankan writing in English This week's column introduces a few latest books in English by Lankan writers. The introduction is not a review, but a notice that keen readers of contemporary literature may find interesting to note and possibly seek to read. A review needs exhaustive study and detail, but in a weekly column only the bare essentials are given in a nutshell. I have before me eight books of varied and quality writing: Doomsday and Between Two Wars by Mahasara Gunaratne Arathi by Nihal de Silva (incomplete and published posthumously) The Lament of the Dhobi Woman by Karen Roberts The Dance of Life by Maleeha Rajon The Shadow by Siri Gunasinghe (a translation from Sinhala by Hemamali Gunasinghe) The Cry of the Devil Bird by Dr Philip G Veerasingam (edited by Dr Tissa Kappagoda) The Whirlwind by Ayathurai Santhan Seven of these books are fiction and therefore creative writing. Among them one is a collection of short stories. While the two books by Mahasara Gunaratne are short fiction, the others are short novels with varied lengths. Only one book, Veerasingam's book, is non-fiction. They are all Lankan born writers with fluency in English. Two of them are medical practitioners. Two of them Tamils, one a Malay, one a Burgher and three Sinhala. This is interesting. Prof Mahasara's books belong to the detective or crime genre. Dr Philip G Veerasingam's book is almost an autobiography of a surgeon's encounter in the medical field. Prof Mahasara Gunaratne, though a distinguished medicine man, writes in beautiful English and is extremely fond of mystery in a colonial history setup, as evidenced from his writing in two books. Like Sir Coonan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Gunaratne has created a character named Arthur in his series of mystery fiction. I enjoyed his two books which took me back to my enjoyment of such fiction as a teenager. The books are published by Bay Owl Press - an imprint of the Perera Hussein Publishing House. The above publishing house has also published the non-fiction by a surgeon who has a master's degree in Buddhist Studies. Dr Philip G Veerasingam is married to a Sinhala lady. Prof Tissa Kappagoda at the University of California has edited this book. This is a sequel to an earlier book on travels by Dr P G V. I like to read such books that give a lot of information on the life experienced in rural Lanka in the past. Santhan Ayathurai (pronounced Saanthan Aiyathurai) is an exceptional Lankan Tamil writer now writing original fiction in English. In 2000 he won the Sri Lankan Sahitya Award for his writing in English. His first novel in English, The Whirlwind was shortlisted in the latest Gratiaen Award selections. This book is published by V U S Pathippagam in Chennai and may be available in local bookstalls. Vihanga Perera and Lynn Ockersz have already written favourable reviews on the book. Prof Siri Gunasinghe is one of the innovative writers in Sinhala culture and arts. His Havenella is beautifully translated into English by his partner in life, Hemamali Gunasinghe, herself an academic and translator. This book is by Vijitha Yapa Publications and added feature included is a critique by Prof K N O Dharmadasa. The book is worth reading to any readers especially students of all literature. The late Maleeha Rajon's collection of short stories was first published eight years ago by Godage International Publishers and was received well. Prof Ashley Halpe's foreword explains the talent of the writer: "permeating all the stories is a generous sympathy with the human condition." The late Nihal de Silva's incomplete novel is published by Vijitha Yapa Publications. Writers are asked to compete in a competition that would fetch 500 Sterling Pounds. The writer, a winner of several prizes was one of the finest writers in the country, E M G Edirasinghe has translated one of his works into Sinhala. His Road From Elephant Pass has been adapted into a fine film by Chandran Rutnam. Finally, Lankan born expatriate writer Karen Roberts' fiction is about class and caste consciousness in the metropolis. This book is published by Perera Hussein Publishers. It is also quite interesting. As we mentioned earlier in the column ours is not a critical analysis of the works mentioned but basically this is an informative piece to bring to the notice of discerning readers the existence of some books by Lankan authors to be read. sivakumaran.ks@gmail.com

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