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| Sunday, 11 September 2005 |
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Book reviews If you have time only for one book... Title: More Princes, Peasants and Clever Beasts by ADITHA DISSANAYAKE If you feel you have time to read only one book at the moment, I would not recommend you to read Tissa Devendra's 'More Princes, Peasants and Clever Beasts'. Devendra's collection of essays about his life as a Government Agent in the provinces, released recently and titled 'On Horse Shoe Street' would be a better choice. But if you do have the time to read two books, then, the former becomes a 'must-read'. The ten folk-tales retold by Devendra in 'More Princes, Peasants and Clever Beasts', are based on the 'Village Folk-tales of Ceylon', collected and translated by H. Parker. In an attempt to instill an interest in the culture of their motherland in his grandchildren and others of their generation who are sent to, international schools and who know more about 'Aladin and his wonder lamp' than about the Gal ibbas or vadu ralas of the village tales, Devendra writes using 'a clear and simple language and a style and idiom that will appeal to children'. Amritha Wickramage's illustrations and the assigning of names to the "kings, lions and princes "whom the village story-tellers rarely bothered to name" strengthens this fact. Yet, being the master storyteller that he is, the secondary world he creates through the stories are meant not only for children. Regardless of how old the reader is, once he or she gets inside the world of Sinha the lion and Gal Ibba and Mal Ibba, the tortoises, what Devendra relates becomes true, because the events accord with the laws of that world. He keeps the reader enthraled that not once does the spell break, the magic vanish and give way to disbelief. Plainly, not concerned with possibility but 'readability', Devendra awakens curiosity, satisfying and whetting it unbearably. In 'The Grateful Eagles', he describes how a king in a faraway kingdom imprisons his daughter in a dark room on a moonless night with seven other palace maidens and tells her suitor "As you go into the room, grab the Princess and come out. Then you can marry her. If you miss her and bring another maiden out, I will cut off your head". With the experiences of a grandfather, Devendra gives children what they love best, tales in which animals speak as wisely or as foolishly as humans. Thus in 'The Swimming Race' Sinha roars at Gal Ibba 'You are not a proper animal but only a miserable creeping stone...not fit to be eaten by a lion king". As Parker does in his "Village Folk-tales", Devendra too captures the quintessential charm of the stories through his language. He begins 'The Ring of the Serpent King' in the fixed form used by the villagers to create the tempo and the mood of a story; " Long, long ago a king and queen had seven young sons...". Devendra writes as an omniscient narrator who simply describes the characters and gives their thoughts by direct exposition. Enchantments and impossible tasks create trouble for his protagonists till magic provides a way out. Listening to the stories or reading them on their own, it is not hard to imagine the face of a child coming alive with anticipation, a sudden giggle, the intake of breath... a vision of deep inner satisfaction. All in all, the ten traditional Sinhala folk-tales in 'More Princes, Peasants and Clever Beasts' reiterate the old verities that kindness and goodness will triumph over evil if they are backed by wisdom, wit and courage. So, if you have the time to read only two books at the moment, make this be one of them, for so roundly and soundly do these tales stand for morality that they reveal basic truths that should be built into the depths of everybody's conscience. The Rock and Wall Paintings of Sri Lanka Written by Senaka Bandaranayake and Gamini Jayasinghe Published in 1986 by Lake House Bookshop, Colombo, this has got to be one of the premost books in this subject. Afterall Professor Bandaranayake is one of Sri Lanka's leading authorities in Archaeology while Mr. Gamini Jayasinghe is one of the leading specialists in the field of photographic documentation of Sri Lankan rock and wall paintings. Incidentally this is Mr. Jayasinghe's first book of such photographs. While the Sri Lankan artistic heritage makes a sizeable contribution to the world of art in general, this book emphasises the fact that we Sri Lankans have a rich heritage of our own tradition for our own. The Rock and Wall Paintings of Sri Lanka covers paintings from the early ages, as in prehistoric art also called Vedda rock art. The book then follows art into the different stages in which it can be seen, depending on style and era. For a scholar conversant in the terminology of the subject this book would be of immense value. In fact in my opinion this book is aimed at such scholars. The photographs of the paintings are of good quality and looking through them is a treat in itself. A personal favourite of mine is the painting of the Telapatta Jataka from the Mulkirigala Rajamahavihara in page 225. The scene depicts the brother who indulged in the "sense of taste" as he accompanied the brother who was to claim the kingship of the town Takila with four other brothers. What caught my attention was the three types of plantains painted so vividly that I think I can say the varieties. Especially the luscious looking 'rath kesel.' And I'm perfectly aware that I'm benefitting from the authors' painstaking research and hard work which obviously have gone into this magnificent book. According to Mr. Jayasinghe he had to go to all these places to take photographs. And indeed it has all paid off. The book ends with the modern period completing a handsome compilation of rock and wall paintings of Sri Lanka and a well researched text. It's no small wonder that this is one of the most sought after books in Sri Lanka. Here's hoping that it'll come back in print. (The Rock and Wall Paintings of Sri Lanka by courtesy of Mark Booksellers, Kandy) - Dilini Algama |
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