Books

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Shortlisted for the Gratiaen Prize

Ameena Hussein's debut collection of stories received critical acclaim as well as an instant following in popular readership. FIFTEEN is a collection of diverse, edgy, punchy stories that explore various aspects life, predominantly from a woman's perspective, grappling with various social, cultural and religious constraints

A compelling story of adventure, love, and starting anew in Dutch Ceylon.

The year was 1760, I would like to think it was a cloudless day in June, when Jan disembarked at Galle, the southernmost port in the island. A turquoise sea lapped against a promontory which was fortified by a massive fort. On the ramparts, was a curious crowd of people, excited at the sight of the vessel, its white sails billowing in the wind. 

Premini Amerasinghe brings to life the cobbled streets of 18th century Ceylon. Cleverly juxtaposed with the personal story of an employee of the VOC - Jan Spittel, are the political intrigues, the battles fought, and the transition from Dutch to British occupation of the Indian Ocean island of Ceylon.

From the author of Colours of the Sun (shortlisted for the Gratiaen Awards and State Literary Awards 2010), comes a brilliant distillation of day- to - day organizational issues addressed in a form of 'what', 'why' and 'how', that can help one to gain mastery over crisis and to triumph with greater character.

"One's character is generally challenged when disaster strikes and as the saying goes; it's not about how high one climbs but how he bounces back when he hits the bottom which defines the true measure of a man's success. This is the heart of the Crisis to Character Model suggested by the author." - Kushil Gunasekera, Founder, Foundation of Goodness, Sri Lanka

The controversial Professor of Mathematics, scholar and lawyer from Vavuniya – C. Suntharalingam, was a member of independent Ceylon's first cabinet of Ministers alongside D.S Senanayake, S.W.R.D Bandaranaike, J.R Jayewardene, J.L Kotelawala, Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, T.B Jayah, Dudley Senanayake etc. Resigning from his Ministerial post in an era of rising communal tension, he composed open letters to his grandchildren, venting his disenchantment, and decrying the direction that Ceylon's newly gained independence was taking under the stewardship of her elected officials. These letters, serialised in newspapers over fifty years ago, present an insight into a version of events that contributed to our turbulent, recent history.

Gunawardena has a poetic voice that is always a quiet and thoughtful one

A recording of brief and witty, carefully crafted impressions of life as she lived it. Here is a collection of poems that reveal a country loved and known.

'The limpid simplicity of her language reveals nuanced complexities of response and judgement that actively engage the reader's mind and emotions when the writer presents the interplay of cultures or personalities, or of the past, recent past and the present. She depicts herself as an unobtrusive observer "I love to watch through glass". She is also so acute and honest that her poems can evoke disturbing echoes' – Lakshmi de Silva

'The pull of her Motherland is clearly seen, yet without cloying sentimentality or paeans of praise to its scenic beauty' – Anne Abeysekera

(Pages are slightly Yellowing, 40% off) 

The scholar, historian, colleague, friend, and mentor who dedicated his life to Sri Lanka

 This libr amicorum is a book of original writings (research, fiction, poetry..) compiled by friends of Fr. Martin Quéré to celebrate his first 50 years in Sri Lanka. The subjects are concerning his fields of interest, as a historian (of religion, of the Portugese period in Sri Lanka, of the French battles in Trincomalee), as a reader of literature, and as a man well versed in many languages.

You've always wondered how squirrels got their distinctive stripes. Well, once upon a time, clever little squirrels joined a legendary battle that took place in the land of Lanka. As reward for their valour they received a sign of affection that they carry even today! Read all about it with your children, from this beautifully illustrated collectible book.

Inspiring Sri Lanka's current and future generations of youth through the stories of successful and innovative leaders, entrepreneurs and drivers of change.

Driven by their passion for social entrepreneurship, unbridled love for Sri Lanka, and aspiration for a thriving future for their country, Indira and Hashendra have collaborated to write I Am Inspired, a consolidation of anecdotes, insights and reflections of inspirational leader with Sri Lankan roots based in the country and around the world. The book is a ground-breaking literary creation produced to inspire and encourage youth to shed their inhibitions and take a leap of faith in pursuing their passions. Spanning across eight chapters, the consolidated biographical portraits envelop areas most critical to Sri Lanka's development. 

100% of book proceeds will be donated to the Sparklers Foundation, for the purpose of:

1) Designing a textbook version of I Am Inspired in Sinhala and Tamil for distribution in high schools. The sale of one copy of I Am Inspired will fund the production and distribution of 10 textbooks.

2) Running capacity-building programs for young Sri Lankans exhibiting exceptional entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

For more information, please visit www.sparklers-foundation.org

Shortlisted for the Gratiaen Prize 2020

The fabled Moroccan Scholar Ibn Battuta is reputed to have travelled further through the medieval world than any other explorer, including Marco Polo. When Ameena Hussein sees a grimy street sign in Puttalam bearing his name, it precipitates a quest of her own, tracking Ibn Battuta’s trajectory in Lanka or Sarandib as he knew it.

From the pearl rich north-western coast, through Sri Pada known as the Mount of Lanka, down to Dewinuwara with its magnificent temple hosting dancing girls and Brahmin priests and onwards to Colombo – already a formidable maritime presence, she follows his trajectory to rejoin his starting point at Puttalam. Along the way, she seeks Ibn Battuta’s memory in the minds of men, and discovers a land brimming with myth and legend as colourful as the traveler himself.

"A book for those who love the marvelous, multicultural land of Lanka" – Tim Mackintosh Smith
"A rich tapestry, bringing to life 14th century Sri Lanka" – Shyam Selvadurai
"A beautiful, sweeping book that shines light into the past" – Nayomi Munaweera
"A fabulously entertaining and remarkable feat of research" – Nira Wickremasinghe

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Long Listed for the Dublin Impac Prize 2012

Writing with keen insight into the psyche of the displaced, Channa Wickremesekera, author of Distant Warriors and Walls, brings his characters into the close confines of a boat escaping a conflict zone. Will a series of unfortunate events precipitate disaster on them before nature unleashes a savage storm? Only time will tell as they race inexorably toward their destiny.

'A powerful and disturbing tale of our times in which the historical and the allegorical are combined with consummate skill. Channa Wickremesekera is among the most astute, inventive and courageous of Sri Lankan diasporic writers today' – Suvendrini Perera

'The novel can be read as a counter narrative of the colonial voyage... It is unromantic and unsentimental, even in some of its more tender moments, like that of the child seeking the whereabouts of the kitten she had brought on board or in the more horrifying ones , like the spraying of an 'insubordinate' passenger by the rebel leader, with bullets. A remarkable feature of its textuality is its refusal to produce a 'human' alternative to the political dilemma of nations and nationalities, borders and boundaries' – Sumathy Sivamohan

Stories of hope and courage

The book is a collection of stories that reflects the lives of disabled individuals across the globe. Each story is narrated by a courageous individual who refused to be defined and shaped by a label or a medical diagnosis. These individuals choose life and living instead of doom and gloom. They are not international superstars but are stars nevertheless because they valiantly defied limitations imposed on them despite the odds that were stacked against them. The stories are a gift of hope and inspiration to the countless number of individuals with disabilities.

You too can overcome!

The stories also carry a loving message to parents, care-givers, teachers, health professionals, neighbors, family and friends.

Look beyond the disability and recognize the person who is struggling to emerge!

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This is a beguiling tale of three women swept up in the turbulence of an island's history and whose fate is woven intricately together in war, migration, love, exile and belonging.

A few months after the 1983 riots, a Sinhalese family leaves Sri Lanka for America. The two children, Yasodhara and Lanka adapt to their new life quickly but memories of their childhood on a tropical island in the middle of the Indian Ocean are seared into their souls. Meanwhile, Saraswathi lives in the middle of the war torn country struggling to be a teenager in a land that is anything but normal.

Covering three quarters of a century of Sri Lanka's past, this beautifully written novel combines harsh reality, love and tenderness with astonishing insight.

'Lyrical, heartfelt and awash with imagery: Island of a Thousand Mirrors expresses a deep love of the country and a lingering sadness at what Sri Lanka has done to itself' – Shehan Karunatilaka, author of Chinaman

'Nayomi Munaweera pulls you into this book's big-hearted embrace with fierce, poetic language and striking imagery. The three women at the core of the ambitious, globe-spanning story show us, heart-breakingly, that we are linked by more than nation, more than race, more, even than blood. A dark, beautiful transporting debut' – V. V. Ganeshananthan, author of Love Marriage

'In Island of a Thousand Mirrors, Nayomi Munaweera writes with ferocity, fire and poetry of the incomprehensible madness of civil war and its effects upon those caught within it, whether in the villages and cities of Sri Lanka, or half a world away. A masterful, incendiary debut' – Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander

 Winner of the Commonwealth Prize

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Jaffna Boy is the engaging true story of a young boy's life at a Sri Lankan boarding school in the 1970s, as recalled during one fateful train ride - and the advice from an unexpected source that would change the course of his life forever.

WINNER State Literary Award : Best Novel 2015

When Tristan Lorne accidentally summons the demon Appollyon to Earth, he becomes a game-changer in the eternal combat of good against evil. Now unleashed, Appollyon wreaks havoc and destruction under the guise of crime, natural disasters and wars. Those killed by him awaken to find themselves in Olympus, a realm of four islands, ruled by two mysterious elders, who ally with magical creatures and plot to defeat the demon. When a devastating confrontation brings Tristan here, little does he know that his journey of magic, mystery and self discovery is only about to begin. KNIGHTS OF OLYMPUS, the first of the Tristan's Conquest trilogy is a gripping tale that bridges worlds of ancient magic and prophecy, where some are destined by their choices to become either heroes or villains.

The first ever such, Fantasy-Adventure novel by a Sri Lankan Author. A remarkable debut!

L.T.P. Manjusri was born in 1902 in Aluthgama, a small fishing village near Galle in Southern Sri Lanka, and died a national hero in 1982, having had an extraordinary life. His story is a commentary on the cultural history of 20th Century Sri Lanka. His contribution to art and the history of art spans the previous century to the birth and development of modern art in the country. 

Manjusri's works are found in many galleries, including the Sapumal Foundation and the National Art Gallery in Colombo, Horniman Museum in London, Kunst Historiches Museum in Vienna, New York Public Library, Columbia University Library, Metropolitan Museum in New York and in numerous private collections.

After giving up robes in 1949, he worked as a journalist at Lake House Newspapers until his retirement in 1968. He wrote more than 200 articles pertaining to temple paintings, Asian art and culture. Recognized both in Sri Lanka and internationally, his many accolades include the Ramon Magsasay Award. He died a national hero.

David Annoussamy est déjà connu de nos lecteurs par son ouvrage sur la littérature tamoule qui a reçu un accueil très favorable. Il nous offre aujourd'hui un panorama des aspects essentiels de la culture tamoule où l'insolite côtoie le sublime. La culture tamoule s'apparente à la culture indienne mais s'en distingue assez pour mériter une présentation séparée. Elle est exposée dans cet ouvrage par un Tamoul qui l'a vécue pendant 88 ans et qui s'est efforcé de l'approfondir tout au long de sa vie. Elle est décrite en une langue simple et claire pour être saisie même par ceux qui n'on eu aucun contact avec le pays tamoul.

Cet ouvrage sera davantage apprécié par les Tamouls qui ont quitté le pays depuis une période plus ou moins longue. A sa lecture, ils seront contents et fiers d'appartenir à cette culture. Même ceux qui ont gardé le contact avec le pays seront ravis de faire plus ample connaissance avec cette riche culture et d'en découvrir les tenants et les aboutissants.