I went book shopping today and when I came home was pleasantly surprised to realize that 5 of the 6 books I bought were by Sri Lankan authors. The only reason I bought the sixth was because I needed it for a project and not out of choice. Wooow how brilliant is this! I did not go out with the intention of buying books only from Sri Lankan authors but they seemed the most compelling to read out of the selection of books which were available at the odel book store. Suddenly there seems to be sudden eruption of Sri Lankan talent and it fills my heart with joy finally that English writers locally can make it worthwhile to be published. I was also thrilled to see that the design of the book covers were really good. In fact one book which I picked up deserves special mention because originally I thought it was a foreign book and only later did I realize it was once again a local author. The book I am talking about it called “When life gives you lemons, make limoncello- confessions of an English teacher in Italy” I am still going through it but so far it has been an interesting and entertaining read. I am so impressed with the design I thought that it deserves a special picture of its own. I feel it is also my duty to thank Otara of Odel for giving us access to such a variety of local authors and promoting local literature by doing so. Way to go Sri lanka makes me sooo proud.
5 comments:
good for you!
the other day i told a friend, a sri lankan, that i love reading local authors and he made a face. when asked why he said that local authors either try too hard to impress or their references are often flawed.
while this maybe true in the case of some, i find local authors refreshing to read. not always great but so very familiar like rice and curry :)
btw, love Karen Roberts. Read Flower Boy if you already havent.
The culture economy is also a way to judge a country and it's progress. So looks like the the current SLGov slowly but surely are getting it right.
I hope the Sri Lankans understand that all these little things are the joys of a country without war.
9/11 had a direct effect on the western world and with it followed the worldwide recession.
It's good to know that Sri Lanka's getting it right. I notice also the resurgence of metal rock in Colombo and kudos to people like Barefoot where events such as book openings, jazz and what not happen regularly.
Bravo to you CJ for buying these books!
I didnt like limoncello ... :I my gramps LOVED it though. Fairy dance was an eye opener but a little too much black and white.
mst read the others :)
there has actually been a good range of locally authored books at places like vyb and sarasavi for the last 6-7 years. i used to love reading the local authors but after a while you tend to notice that they all sound the same. i got tired of reading about people who came back to sl to find their roots.
i loved the limoncello book though. it was so irreverent. not sure if it was published in sl though.
Must try the limoncello one. How was the lament of the dhobi woman? Browsed it and put it back on the shelf the other day...lemme know!
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