Multi-faceted role that Joe Abeywickrema played in Sri Lankan cinema

The passing away of Joe Abeywickrema (1927-2011) marks the end of a seminal era in contemporary Sri Lankan cinema as it moves into post-conflict era. One of the important aspects of Joe Abyewickrama’s phenomenal career in Sri Lankan cinema is that his career was, in many ways, synonymous with the evolution of Sinhala cinema from its very formative years to the contemporary cinema.

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Encounters

Buddhist confessional poetry:

Narratives of self-conversion

Last week I discussed the complex ways in which the idea of a Buddhist sublime finds expression in the poems contained in the Theragatha and Therigatha. Today, I wish to pursue a related topic - the aesthetics of renunciation that seems to guide and underwrite these confessional poems.

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