Books

DISCOVER THE WINNER IN YOU will disrupt your life in the most unexpected fashion! - A must read for anybody who wishes to raise the bar.

This book will explore how each person could establish their core identity, using a unique 7P model and reach world-class presence. The author Farill Farook will take you on a journey of self-discovery with tools to defy odds and unlock your full potential towards reaching the highest peak.

• Template to build your identity and transform into a world-class brand from age 07 to70
• Four ground-breaking avenues to discover your passion and convert into a craft
• Understanding the process and pivotal points from steering through uncertainty to certainty
• Why do some achieve success and others fail to sustain?
• Tools and techniques to promote and elevate your winning profile
• The negative pill of early fame and remedies to overcome

Enjoy a colourful afternoon of fun and frolic with a spirited youngster as she slays monsters and demonstrates that girls can be whatever they want to be - they only need an active imagination and the love and support of a wonderful grandmother!

This charming picture book is about a little Sri Lankan girl who loves playing dress up with her Archchi. She selects a colourful sari, decorates her sari, and puts on her (non-toxic) makeup with care. 

But she is no ordinary Princess. 

Illustrated in vibrant colours this book also includes three activity pages and a DIY Jigsaw Puzzle!

Reviewed as one of the most comprehensive books about Sri Lanka and as being on par with the best international publications, Eloquence in Stone narrates the story of this island nation. It begins with the cliffs and caves where ancient man lived as far back as 150,000 years ago in Sri Lanka and then moves onto the stone tools they produced 35,000 BP, and the script of the ancients that dates back to 500 BC. One of the first man-made tanks in the world was built in the citadel of Anuradhapura. This tank was the starting point of a sophisticated irrigation system which harnessed monsoon rains and channeled the waters for long distances from one tank to giving rise to a rich agricultural civilization - a society that built ships and traded in elephants and spices and one which adopted the rituals of Buddhism and Hinduism, built magnificent statues and temples embellished with sculpture and murals. It is a culture and a way of life that continues in much the same manner to this day. The descendants of this ancient people cultivate the same fields, dance to the same drums and worship at the same temples. The world of the 20th century is yet to enmesh them fully and this book is a peon to this heritage.

Produced by a team of Sri Lankas foremost photographer/travellers, the book is of interest to all Sri Lankans, historians, archaeologists, Asian Studies specialists, anthropologists and sociologists. It is also a book that lovers of beauty beautiful writing and beautiful photographs will treasure.

The book ends with the words of Nihal Fernando, the man who inspired the book - This is the dream I have had for the last fifteen years. I want to tell the story of this country and its people. I want to make people think about our past and what we are doing to it before it is too late.

A translation of a manuscript by Eudelin de Jonville who came to the island of Ceylon in 1798

Available in French and English. de Jonville came to Ceylon as a naturalist and a member of the administrative staff recruited by Frederick North, first British governor of the new colony. During the seven years he spent in Ceylon, he travelled, investigated, questioned, counted and measured, drew, painted and above all wrote an astonishing manuscript.

'The co-author Marie-Hèlène Estève of this new book should be congratulated for her painstaking detailed biographical research on this 'most elusive of the naturalist'. In other words Joseph Marie Eudelin Marve de Jonville has re-emerged from this splendid biographical account of Jonville. The book is replete with seven water color drawings and several other black and white drawings' – Hemantha Situge

The revival of economic activity in those areas most affected by the civil conflict were given priority after the war ended in 2009. The development of infrastructure, the resettlement of communities and rebuilding livelihoods were key areas of focus for the state, humanitarian actors, the diaspora and the private sector.

This research sets out to understand how these initiatives have changed the economic landscape for women in the North of Sri Lanka. More specifically, it explores the economic opportunities that have been created for women's advancement and empowerment in the North since the end of the war. By employing a multi-disciplinary approach, the different studies in this book have been able to uncover not just economic factors, but also cultural, social and psycho-social reasons associated with women's decisions to work, their livelihood outcomes and their state of economic empowerment.

The research shows that while the conflict has unquestionably created a strong regressive impact on the overall well-being of women, long-term structural challenges stemming from deep-rooted gender norms, and flaws in post-conflict livelihood intervention initiatives also stand in the way of women's economic empowerment in the North.

The research is based on field work undertaken in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka during 2015 and 2016.

Eyesha is a baby elephant who is just learning the etiquette and behaviour expected of the largest land mammal in the world. She visits the Minneriya Tank with her family for the first time to participate in the annual Great Gathering. Curious and adventurous, she makes new friends, but is soon lost and in trouble. How will little Eyesha find her way back to her mother?

With spectacular illustrations by Manoshi de Silva that capture the beauty of the region and a well-researched Glossary and Fun Facts page that encourage children to appreciate animals in the wild, Eyesha and the Great Elephant Gathering is an entertaining and educational book for children.

"That's it. After reading this book I want to quit the human race and join the far more civilized world of Asian Elephants. Highly recommended for any parent who wants to open their children's eyes to the wonder and warmth of other species on our planet" - Nancy Heinzel (Amazon Review)

The life and times of Jeronis Pieris, as seen through his letters

Read an excerpt!

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.

"Sita left something of herself everywhere you care to look. She never forgot another's needs and never opted out." ~ Jeanne Pinto, May 1978

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

'How lucky we are to have had Mala — taking on the big concerns of our time examining them with love and care. She concludes her essay on the Sigiriya frescoes by conjuring the uncontainable power of these painted women - their "smile lingers' , as she says. We hope the reader of these essays will see- as we do- that Mala's vast humanity and Mala's irrepressible smile, lingers."

'Her Smile Lingers’ : a collection of selected essays by Malathi de Alwis, edited by Kanchana N Ruwanpura, Caryll Tozer, Chulani Kodikara, Sonali Deraniyagala and Vraie Cally Balthazar