Well versed in science

Reviewed by Sajitha Prematunge

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When I started reading it I had my doubts and I braced myself for an excruciating ordeal. I expected someone's amateurish attempt at something I held sacred - science fiction, with only that someone managing to muck it all up. As expected, at first the narration sounded much like a poor translation of a good science fiction. That's right a 'good' science fiction - which I didn't expect - written in 'written Sinhala'. Consequently as I kept reading the artificial nature of the dialogues ceased to bother and the plot started to grow on me. Then it occurred to me that the writer of Vismitha Sihina Dakinna (The Fantasy Dreamer) - Damitha Nipunajith - who is akin to professional writers in his attention to detail, shows some promise.

Reading the opening story - Adisi Awiya (The invisible weapon) - the first thing that hit me was that his choice of an opening story - about a senior officer of a US military research facility cum time traveller's visit to Jules Verne in 19th century France - was a grave mistake. While also admitting the difficult in localizing science fiction, it is apparent that he has repeatedly chosen foreign settings, the synthetic dialogues only helping to increase its artificial nature. But his accounts of the foreign settings are convincing, the only thing out of place being the language it is narrated in, making it seem more like a translation.

His diction although slightly laboured, is peppered with scientific and technical terms - that may have been easier to grasp in English, even for a Sri Lankan - and carries an underlying wit, for example when the writer refers to Bonn's laboratory as a "scientific mess in the true sense of the word." Nipunajith's scientific expertise is most evident in his diction as well as the plot of Supiri Kapataya (Super Valve), a discovery of accident. It implies that the human race is not technologically, culturally and specially mentally evolved enough to make such leaps of discovery as time travel. And until such time the invisible forces of the universe prevents us from making the discovery. This would explain why we have yet, not discovered time travel or evidence of extra terrestrial life!

However Nipunajith's true intelligence as a science fiction writer is explicit in the manner in which he redeems himself from having to explain new inventions that human technology, culture nor the mind can grasp. Bonn, in Supiri Kapataya says referring to his new invention "I admit that I can't explain the mechanism of its workings...." The writer not only saves himself from having to explain something so out of the world but also makes the excuse more convincing. He leaves nothing to science fantasy.

But my favourite and undoubtedly one of the most original is the title story, Vismitha Sihina Dakinna (The Fantasy Dreamer). As in all of the other stories he builds up curiosity through his narration, beating around the bush. Unable to suppress my curiosity, taking a sneak peak at the end of the story I was pleasantly surprised to see the familiar name 'Arthur Charles Clarke'! mentor of all science fiction writers. Actually come to think of it this short story would explain the prophet in Sir Arthur Clarke.

By the time the collection reaches 'Varthawa' (The Report) woven around a journalist's quest for the story of his life, the dialogues have become more realistic and colloquial, shedding the 'written Sinhala'. In a collection of short stories, each story apparently totally different from the other the only consistency seems to be the writer's obsession with time travel (Except for the fact that all the stories except Adisi Aviya and Vismitha Sihina Dakinna are tragedies). In fact the theme of time travel is so recurrent that, it almost seems like an infatuation, although he manages to present it in a different way in every short story and thereby justify it. Moreover Nipunajith is well versed in paradoxes of time travel like the grandfather and the bootstrap paradoxes. He seems to have explored whole new possibilities in time travel - for example the mechanism of time travel in 'Varthawa', in which only the spirit or the astral body is allowed to travel back in time, is mind boggling.

I wonder if Nipunajith is a Hollywood movie buff because 'Avisvasaya' (The Distrust), reminds me of the movie Final Destination. Although 'Aviswasaya' is an individual piece of writing in it's own right, the two plots have many similarities. As Death follows those who escaped their fate, in Final Destination, in 'Aviswasaya' an invisible force is after the men from the future, determined to stop them from influencing the past at any cost. In 'Aviswasaya' Nipunajith provides a plausible explanation for all the lost civilizations. Reading the epilogue christened the 'Writers epilogue' readers may momentarily confuse the Voice of Mac with the writers'.

A parallel can be drawn between the plot of 'Sihinaya' (The Dream) - where extra terrestrial keep human minds under control by making humans believe that the video game-like dream world they are forced to live in is their reality while their reality is what they have learned to consider as their dreams! - and a few blockbusters including Matrix.

Although his plots share many similarities with blockbusters and best sellers - which maybe pure coincidence after all - he gives the theories new life, with his explicit imagination.

His short story, 'Athmaakramanaya' (Invasion of the spirit) is an apocalyptic story, a typical war of the world scenario. But its extreme attention to detail and the winding plot is evidence of the writers wild imagination. It is a perfect antithesis to the last story of the collection. Apparently Nipunajith has saved the best for last. His 'Vijaya Deshaya' is set in India, written in the perspective of a special Indian task force observing the latest developments in Sri Lanka with envy. In this ingenious story the writer makes a daring attempt to consider astrology as technology and in this he is a pioneer. He builds up curiosity for quite a few pages into the story until he reveals that the secret behind Sri Lankas success is indeed astrology.

This is quite daring for a first time science fiction writer because he might be risking the credibility he had so carefully built up over the whole collection. This is probably the very reason he decided to leave it for last. Any reader would have already witnessed his expertise and innovation. Above all this story shows distinct originality.

Further ahead of the story he switches to Buddhism and then meditation, but is successful in justifying the theory's scientific soundness. Reaching the end of this most original science fiction short story, I was quite taken aback. The first sensation was a trace of anger at the writer. It would not have been surprising if 'Sri Lanka' was made the villain in a Hollywood movie, as it often happened. But for a first time 'Sri Lankan' science fiction writer it is daring indeed. But come to think of it, it seamed fitting that Sri Lanka should get back at the rest of the world for their hypocrisy.

Creating colours, sounds and images with words

Reviewed by Seneka Abeyratne

Ashok Ferrey is one of Sri Lanka's most sophisticated English short-story writers. He has been shortlisted twice for the Gratiaen Prize: first, for "Colpetty People" (published in December 2004) and second, for "The Good Little Ceylonese Girl" (published in December 2006). The former has sold over 6,000 copies to date and the latter, nearly 5,000. Both books are immensely popular among local and expatriate communities and appear to be doing equally well in terms of sales. This review of "Ceylonese Girl" is long overdue as the book is nearing its sixth edition. But it is never too late to review something that does not fail to live up to expectations. Ferrey's second book of short stories is immensely funny and entertaining. It flows effortlessly from one page to the next and is as good a read as the first, although the first is more "Sri Lankan" than the second. "Ceylonese Girl" has a distinct, cosmopolitan flavour as well as a refined texture, and its author (who is widely travelled) is quite at home whether he is writing about Sri Lanka or England or Somalia. Ferrey's ability to "transpose" himself culturally combined with his inborn gift for story-telling makes him a powerful literary force in the Indian sub-continent.

"Ceylonese Girl" is strictly a work of fiction, but many of the tales (I suspect) are concocted from various chapters in the author's rich and varied life, with the characters and incidents carefully disguised. The book, on the whole, gives the reader a healthy dose of rich satire and eloquent prose. Here are two examples. The first is from "The Good Little Ceylonese Girl", a story set in Mogadiscio and woven round a delicious murder plot: 'Looking back, the thing I remember about Somalia was how gloriously politically incorrect it was all back then. People hung zebra skins on their walls. They wore elephant hair bracelets for luck and shark's teeth necklaces; and lion's claw earrings set in African gold, pure as it comes, clear yellow and soft like butter. There were enormous ostrich eggs, speckled and shiny, on people's coffee tables, and silky dik-dik skins by their beds. The dik-dik was the marvellous spotted miniature deer of Somalia: people hunted and shot this creature so mercilessly I wouldn't be surprised if now, there isn't a single dik-dik left in all of East Africa.' The second is from "Maleeshya", a hilarious story about Colombo's "hi" society: 'There was, however, one basic requirement before you were allowed to appear: you had to agree to undergo Maleeshya's knife. And rather like those carved vegetables so beloved of the Hilton buffet on a Saturday night, you ended up leaner and meaner, and frequently unrecognizable. Maleeshya was the chef, you were her legume: so it was not you that appeared in the magazine but her vision of you; and if you were unrecognizable it was only because you had in the pictures what you never had in real life. You had edge.'

At times, Ferrey's brilliant metaphors and razor-sharp humor permeate the book like molten lava. The practitioners of sham, humbug, hypocrisy, political chicanery and sexual depravity are the favourite targets of this wily and skilful archer who revels in lampooning them with poison-tipped arrows. When it comes to satirizing the behaviour of the privileged classes, especially in Sri Lanka, Ferrey has few equals. What I like about this writer is that he lampoons himself with as much relish as he does others, for he too hails from the same bourgeois community. If one knows the author, it is not too difficult to figure out who in the book is Ashok Ferrey Incognito. One for sure is a certain bloke in "But did I tell you I can't Dance". I am tempted at this point to quote a funny little passage (from this story) pertaining to the jive: 'For those of you not in the know, this is a particularly graceless dance where you have to step to the left and to the right , like a geriatric horse with a bit of ginger up its arse.'

In "Seedevi", Ferrey weaves a bit of magic by stepping boldly into the supernatural world and tinkering with the afterlife. This story is another example of his skill and versatility as a writer. It is written in the first person with a ghost playing the protagonist. Like all his other tales, this too is a satire, but what makes it special is its needle of irony and pathos that gives you a smart finger-prick at the end.

I respect Ferrey as a writer because he has the ability to create colors, sounds and images with words. His stories are as evocative as they are atmospheric, and it is his gift for satire that makes them unforgettable.

This man can not only write, he can also draw and sketch. If this talented humorist and cartoonist could expand the scope of his stories to include a wider range of social and political themes, and also link his marvellous sketches to his prose through the bridge of irony and satire, who knows; he may be hailed as the James Thurber of Sri Lanka, someday. To conclude, Ashok Ferrey's piquant tales, laced with luminous prose and biting wit, are as pleasing to the palate as a premier grand cru. Drink copiously from the Unholy Grail of "Ceylonese Girl" and enjoy.

Fine collection of scholarly articles

Reviewed by Ranga Chandrarathne

The felicitation volume of Prof. Kusuma Karunaratne is, perhaps, an appropriate way to celebrate a life of an academic. The book contains forty scholarly articles on wide ranging subjects from language, sociology to communication. The volume is published by Wijesooriya Granta Kendraya.

Although most of the contributors of the articles are Prof. Kusuma Karunaratne's old students, there are also academics such as Lakshmi de Silva, Indra J. Mawella, Swarna Kanthi Rajapaksa, Dr. Sasanka Perera, Dr. Pranith Abeysundara, Toshiich Endo, Prof. Oliver Abeyanayaka and Prof. Gananatha Obeysekera who have contributed articles to the volume.

Only the first two chapters including the forward are devoted to biographical details and academic achievements life of Prof. Kusuma Karunaratne. She is described as the first woman academic in Sinhala and a successful professional who made a lasting contribution to the academia.

Some of the scholarly articles are `Sociology of Literature' by Manu Tissera Gunasekara, `Gender and the Sri Lankan Poets in Pre-Colonial Times' by Prof. Lakshmi de Silva, `Importance of Post-Colonial Literature in Teaching English in Sri Lanka' by Indra J. Mawella, `Contribution of Translations for the Progress of Sinhala Drama' by Swarna Kanthi Rajapaksa and `Sanskrutiya, Manawavidyawa saha Rachanakaranaye Deshapalanaya' by Dr. Sasanka Perera. In her article, Indira J. Mawella argues that the use of non-native literature would facilitate English language learning and teaching. She argues that post colonial literary texts can be used in teaching/learning English in Sri Lanka and that it would be effective as post colonial literature reflects contemporary socio-cultural reality of the target language learners and his or her life and background.

In an article on gender aspect of women' short stories, Kumudu Karunaratne observes that woman short story writers have critically examined dominant ethos in patriarchal society. The author examines how woman short story writers are sensitive to woman's role as a wife and mother within social institutions of family and marriage. For her study, she has taken short stories by Piyashilee Wijemanna, Karuna Perera, Yamuna Malani Perera and Thilina Weerasinghe. Among other things, the author has observed that writers have questioned the prevalent ethos in family and marriage which have institutionalised discrimination against women. In this column writers discuss the issues in marriage and family. However, writers have maintained silence over the injustices meted out to women. Kumudu points out that the task of the writers should be to liberate society from archetype beliefs and ideas that define women's position as inferior to men.

In an article titled "Contribution of Translations for the Progress of Sinhala Drama", Swarna Kanthi Rajapaksa examines how translations have contributed to the progress of Sinhala Drama. Citing Henry Jayasena's brilliant translation of Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle as Hunuwataye Kathawa (1967), Mother Courage, Sugathapala de Silva's translation of The Good Woman of Setzuan as Hitha Honda Ammandi, Gunasena Galappathi's Muhudu Puththu which was made out of Spanish dramatist Garcia Lorca's Yerma and Ranjith Dharmakeerthi's Angara Ganga Gala Basee, translation of Russian play Irkutz Story and many others, she points out that translations have been a crowd puller and introduced best plays to Sinhala theatre. Compared with original productions, they were insightful and enlightened the audience.

However the author emphasises the fact those original productions such as R.R. Samarakoon's Kelani Palama and Simon Navagaththegama's Suba Saha Yasa are successful original productions. In concluding her article, the author offered her view that translations can enrich Sinhala theatre.

In the article 'Sociology of Literature', Manu Tissera-Gunasekara observes how Martin Wickremasinghe captures the social transformation of the day in Gam Peraliya and in some of his short stories like 'The Coat'. The author points out that in Gam Peraliya, among other things; Wickremasinghe captures `the rise of the middle class, its possible decay and the inexorable influence of urbanisation'.

"The other two are the Age of Kali (Kaliyugaya) and the End of an Era (Yuganthaya). The former depicts a rural family caught in the clutches of urbanisation, and suffering a spiritual decline while the latter contextualises the conflict between the capitalist class and the young rebel that it inevitably gives rise to. Both these stories are aimed at exploring social experiences through carefully woven inter-personal relationships.

In Gam Peraliya, Wickremasinghe exposes a glimpse of the natural life of the village folk in Koggala, his birth place, in the Southern part of Sri Lanka, observes the author. She also states that Wickremasinghe has also captured the social transformation through the reactions of the characters. For instance, Matara Hamine giving consent for Piyal to marry Nanda has been cited as a positive reaction to changes by characters. In conclusion, the author poses the pertinent question whether the literature is really mere escapism?".

One of the thought provoking articles is the one by Toshiichi Endo on similarities and difference of Buddhist beliefs and practices in Sri Lanka and Japan. He observes that Japanese culture has had an abiding influence over the beliefs of Japanese citizens. Having cited the principal approaches of Japanese and the Sri Lankans to the Buddhist concepts of dukkha and Karma, the author observes "The acceptance of phenomenal world as Absolute and the attachment to the worldly things, among other dispositions of the Japanese people, have certainly transformed Buddhism from what is practised in Sri Lanka".

Indrani Ratnasekara in her article examines the influence of the social environment on Spanish literature. Citing Spanish literary works like Coplas, she observes how the society had influenced Spanish writers such as Miguel De Cervantes, Pedro Calderon, Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, Juan Ramon Jimenez and Miguel Hernandez and their literary works. Especially, experiences of war endured by the writers are universal and applicable to any conflict anywhere in the world. Dr. Sasanka Perera observes inroads made by literary elements into non-fiction such as sociology. He points out though some of the ethnographies contains literary elements, they are really lacking in depth and analysis. He states that production of knowledge with regard to ethnography in Sri Lanka is very poor and discussion on this is timely. The felicitation volume, among other things, offers scholarly articles on a wide range of themes and is a fitting tribute to an academic. The articles on wide range of subjects are truly a tribute to Prof. Kusuma Karunaratne's service.

Book launch:

Ape Jathika Kodiye Sinha Nadaya

Ape Jathika Kopdiye Sinha Nadaya written by Damayanthi Jayakody, will be launched at Dayawansa Jayakody Book Exhibition Hall, Ven. S. Mahinda Mawatha, Colombo 10 on December 11.