Capturing the essence of contemporary milieu

Reviewed by Dr. Saliya Kularatne

Agni Chakra (Circles of Fire) by veteran writer Kathleen Jayewardene marks a highly evolved stage in her career in fiction writing. Significantly, Agni Chakra was recently translated into English by Ranga Chandrarathne, Associate Features Editor of Sunday Observer.

In reading the novel, one could realise how it is highly influenced by her earlier novel Thambaravila in terms of conceptualisation and how Circles of Fire is constantly compared and contrast with it. The protagonist in Thambaravila is a woman. Its concepts and perspective of life are unfolding from the point of view of a woman.

Author: Kathleen Jayewardene Translator: Ranga Chandrarathne

The mosaic of life experiences depicted in Thambaravila has been unpretentiously evolved into a kind of self-liberation at the end of the novel. Circles of Fire commences when the woman-centered world in Thambaravila being conditioned into a male-centered one. It is obvious that the translator of Circles of Fire, Ranga Chandrarathne was cognizant in a subtle manner of the socio-economic backdrop of the original novel in Sinhalese. This fact is vindicated by the foreword to the novel by Prof. Wimal Dissanayake, "Another important fact of the meaning -system of Circles of Fire relates to the relationship between a work of fiction and the culture that it inhabits".

In the translation, it has been mentioned; "wouldn't we love the changing nature of the rose than the permanent nature of stone?" The mind which loves the changing nature of a rose rather than a static nature of a stone would see through the evolution of the world. This statement relates to a similar saying in the Dhammapada, "Sucho dammapadan Sudesitan, Kusalo Pushpavima Pachessati" (The explorer of truth would realise the nature of the world in the same manner one who selects flowers for a garland). Jiri Levy has explained it as "Translation is a process of communication".

The university and the allied social forces depicted in Circles of Fire do not go beyond the reality portrayed in Thambaravila. The author in a sensitive manner depicts that the inner self of most of the academics who are virtually confined to their fields of expertise, sometimes, stem from a primary and weak basis. It would be extremely pity if that primary nature is understood by a person with a broad and sensitive mind. The male conscious depicted in D.H.Lawrence's Fantasy of Consciousness is similar to this. "In his consummation in the emotional passion of the woman, man is reborn". The protagonist Sirinivasa's unfulfilled childhood psychological inspirations are later manifested in terms of secretive sexual desires.

Sexologist J. Tennon Bayum describes this phenomenon as "interrupted relations". In the long run, the procedure is harmful. Therefore, the author does not depict Sirinivasa's condition in a manner which generates malice in the mind of the reader towards Sirinivasa. It is rarely that a female author entertains such an enlightened view. Madeleine Whightman of the Guardian UK observes this as "The text highlights that even those who have successfully become part of the developing capitalist society are still suffering from traumatic childhoods".

The plot of the novel is made up of an incident where a university lecturer who has a liaison with a female student is killed by her boyfriend. It is unprecedented that a senior lecturer who has a love affair with his female student, has been killed by her boyfriend. But what the author portrays is something which could happen. The author towards the end of the novel depicts how the protagonist Sirinivasa realises the complexities of life through diverse philosophies and psychological concepts. If the life of the university lecturer in Thambaravila ends in tragedy, the author explores the causations of the tragedy. The author bears the same views as described in Kama Suthra by Vathsayana that man would detest a woman with negative and not fulfilled sexual desires.

However, the protagonist's murder happened when he is terminally ill with a cancer and realising the meanings of life, is shocking for the readers. The protagonist's spirit or the astral body entering into light waves would remind the informed readers of Mary T. Browne's The Life after Death. The guide who meets the spirit at the end of the novel is similar to Guardian Angel in the book and who is kind like a mother. In the latter part of the novel, the author takes readers who have been shocked by the tragic death of the protagonist, to a spiritual world. There is an ideological calmness in that world.

In one of Herman Hesse's famous short stories, a traveller who had travelled through many lands saw a dream while sitting under a tree. In the dream, he saw himself as a toddler in the lap of a kind mother. In Herman Hesse's short story "Augustus", a boy experiences a curse. In his childhood, the boy experience life as a melodious song but in his youth it becomes a nightmare and towards the end of his life, he watches the same sweet dream. Kathleen Jayawardene's Agni Chakra (Circles of Fire) also has that philosophy of life. Ranga Chandrarathne, who has translated the novel into English capturing the essence of the original, offers a good read for English readership.

BOOK LAUNCH

Sinha Minisa

Kumara Siriwardane's latest book Sinha Minisa will be launched at Dayawansa Jayakody Bookshop, Colombo 10 on August 16 at 10 am.

Sinha Minisa is the authentic Sinhala translation of Edgar Rice Borrow's popular work The Lad and the Lion.

It is a Dayawansa Jayakody publication.

Launch of five books

Dr. Sunanda Mahendra's Sinhala novel Dangara Tharappuva, Sita Mahendra's short story collection Samugath Suhadiniya, Vidhura Mahendra's poetry collection The Rise of the Withered Flower, Ravindu Mahendra's short story collection Divi im nimnaya and Sachitra Mahendra's Sinhala novel Didulana Duhuvilla were launched recently at the Mahaweli Centre auditorium, Colombo 7.

Dadayakkara Quaterman

Prabhath Mirihagalle's latest book Dadayakkara Quaterman was launched at Dayawansa Jayakody bookshop, Colombo 10 recently.

Dadayakkara Quaterman is the authentic Sinhala translation of H. Rider Haggard's Hunter Quartermain's story. Dadayakkara Quaterman is a Dayawansa Jayakody publication.