Redefining the craft of short story writing

Reviewed by Chulaka Dambawinna

Dr. Saliya Kularatne's collection of short stories entitled Sathpathma is an experiment with the craft of short story writing in Sri Lanka. The author employs diverse literary techniques and diverse narrative modes.

The collection adds entirely novel approach hitherto unexplored by contemporary Sinhala fiction writers, to Sinhalese the short story, bringing about a folkloric element into the genre. Given the applications of modern literary theory such as magical realism, apart from the artistic and esthetic employment of folklore as a tentative basis for the short stories, the collection stands out as model where folklore has been successfully employed to explore the complex web of human connections in general and life in its myriad forms in particular.

Diverse socio-economic contexts in which the short stories are set and systems of beliefs which have been craftily and organically integrated into the plots of the short stories rendered them socio-cultural as well as anthropological aspects. From diverse perspectives, the short stories in the collections can be analysed besides their enduring literary appeal.

Literary motifs

The collection will open international readers invaluable avenues into discover not only the intrinsic socio-cultural and literary motifs of the milieu but also the systems of beliefs, legends, folklores which coloured the imagination of generations of Sri Lankans, culminating in the production of a rich culture and its concomitant literature.

One of the important areas that Dr. Saliya Kularatne explores in the collection and through the short stories, is the socio-economic fabric of the contemporary Sri Lankan society in general and of Sinhalese in particular. Although the mass consciousness of the Sinhalese who constitutes over 70 percent of the population has been evolved over the centuries deriving nourishments for their cultural life from ancient culture, literature, legends, folklores and medieval culture, they have been increasingly come under the influence of modern world trends and the phenomenon of worldwide popular culture spearheaded by audio-visual and interactive electronic media such as the world wide web or internet.

Complex process

This complex process which is known as the 'twentieth century consciousnesses', would be created and sustained by the dominant motifs of popular culture whose dynamics are controlled by transnational conglomerate and their local agents and the process of creating popular culture and consciousness at diverse strata of the society. Dr. Kularatne observes that traditional system of values and the traditional village is no longer in currency at traditional village and the rituals of the village; attitudes on the part of the villagers have dramatically been changed. The author has effectively used modern literary techniques such as magical realism and dream narrative where the characters evolve with constant allegories of the complex reality.

For instance, in the short story Holman Kellage Guhava (The tunnel of the haunting girl), the author has used cobra lore in the society to explore the contemporary milieu. What is significant is that the author skilfully and convincingly explores the complex character of the protagonist Sudath.

The story commences with a vivid description of Sudath's socio-economic backdrop and the abject poverty under which Sudath's father was compelled to marry his mother. Sudath's disturbed character is vividly portrayed through the employment of cobra lore and the skilful use of magical realism to narrate the story. It is not quite clear whether the characters operate in real life or in a dreamscape or the mixture of them.

One of the important instances of employing a Buddhist parable of dog which eats up a Perethiya (a woman born in as a dirty spirit) is Balla Visin Sapakanulabana Prethiyage Upama Katava (The parable of dog eating up the female dirty spirit). The author has applied the old Buddhist parable in a modern context suggesting that same parable could be repeated in modern context. Significantly, the author has not directly repeated the old Buddhist parable but the parable has linked to the present story. Sujeeva and Beatrice became friends after attending an educational seminar and the author describes that how they eventually carried on a lesbian relationship until they got married. On the instructions of Beatrice Sujeeva cheated her university lecturer exploiting his sensitive nature in the similar manner that a wife fooled her husband in the Buddhist parable and how Sujeeva and Beatrice were seduced by a provincial politician with a bulldog's face. Although not explored in great details, the author deals with increasing lesbianism and homosexual occurrences in Sri Lanka.

Moral

The moral behind the story seems to be that the female dirty spirit in the Buddhist parable may be Sujeeva and the same parable may be reenacted in modern context under different circumstances. In other words, it is a reaffirmation of one of the core Buddhist teachings; the cause and effect.

What is obvious for readers is that the author has not just integrated a Buddhist parable into the short story and recreated something out of the milieu but he has truly depicted the dominant socio-economic changes such as changing morality on the part of present day youth. Sujeeva and Beatrice become lesbian partners but they have chosen to marry faithful husbands apparently with the intention of having their own ways.

One of the stories where the author skilfully employs modern literary techniques such as magical realism within the context of vividly realised parable is Sanjeeva Nam Apaye Pipunu Halahala Padmaya (The poisonous flower in Sanjeeva hell). Here the author brings into the plot the Buddhist concept of hell which is similar to the purgatory in Christian tradition. One would suffer for the past sins. The story is woven around a professor writing a script for a soap opera based on a romance between Sangneeta and Padma.

The folkloric and magical elements come into the plot as the story progresses detailing the lives of the lovers and the socio-economic backdrop the characters grew up.

Bizarre twist

The story ends with a bizarre twist revealing that the professor himself was the protagonist of the story. Apart from employing folklore and concept of hell, the author effectively deals with contemporary socio-economic issue through the formation of social networks and the typical behaviour of some underprivileged segments of the society.

In most of the short stories, the author has attempted to analyse the mindsets, behaviour of the characters taken out of the real life through organically arranged incidents and their myriad effects on the characters. The short stories in the collection yields multiplicity of readings at diverse levels as symbolised by its title Sathpathma.

A reader should revisit the short stories many times to grasp the multiplicity of meanings generated by them. Significantly the author has used folklore, legends and parables not only as a meat of the short stories but also as effective tools of psycho-analysis. Above all, Sathpathma is an absorbing read.