Sunday, 10 Sep 2023
- Follow Us:
By Ravindra Wijewardhane
Salman Rushdie stabbing:
Religious fanatism is, no doubt, a mental illness. Throughout history the damage caused by these fanatics for humanity is beyond words. The most recent example for it is attack of world renowned author Salman Rushdie, 75.
Rushdie was about to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution near Lake Erie in western New York last Friday (August 12) when the attack took place...
The world is on fire. At one end of the world, there are wars – mainly the Ukraine - Russian war and the Palestine -Israel war – and at theother end, there are economic crises – Sri Lanka is a classic example for it.
Of course, there are climate change catastrophes as well – according to the United Nations report published on March 26, 2022, the world has experienced 350-...
Raigampura Kalakaruwo (Artistes of Raigampura) by former Inspector General of Police Victor Perera was launched two weeks ago at Colombo Public Library.
The book, published by Sarasavi Publishers, focuses on the artistes in Raigam Koralaya and describes academically their service to the respective fields aside from presenting biographical notes on those artistes.
This is...
OPINION
Last Friday, on December 4, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that it was “a day of shame for his country”. The reason was the brutal lynching and burning of a Sri Lankan factory manager, Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana, in Sialkot, Punjab province, by radical Islamic mobs. In his Tweet message PM Khan said:
“The horrific vigilante attack on a factory in Sialkot and the...
The late veteran film maker, editor and the pioneer in television dubbing art in Sri Lanka, Titus Thotawatte's 10th death anniversary fell on October 15. As the Director of Film and Dubbing Unite at the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, he could present iconic tele-series such as Oshin, Kung Fu, Monkey, Robin of Sherwood, Malgudi Days as dubbed works. There are hundreds...
By Ravindra Wijewardhane
Martin Wickramasinghe is the pioneer of modern Sinhala literature. The author of more than 80 books, his first realistic novel in...
The late Pundit Wimal Abhayasundara is one of the foremost poets from the Colombo School of Poetry. He is not only a poet, but...
The collaboration between Sri Lanka and India the film industry is a much awaited anticipation of both the countries. Now that...
Today is International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB). It was created by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly on...
Zoo chief
A trade union at the National Zoological Gardens legedly involved in corruption and misuse of public property had sought to...
Nowadays, audio books are very popular, even the avid readers tend to listen to them. Why are they so popular? Because audio...
We are now witnessing world’s worst catastrophe after the Second World War. Russian invasion in the Ukraine. Whatever the reason...
Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez is considered one of the greatest masters of Magical Realism. His novel ‘A Hundred Years...
At the beginning of 2022, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II who is 96, would mark her Platinum Jubilee of the coronation...
Sir D.B. Jayatilaka
Today (February 13) marks the 154 birth anniversary of one of Sri Lanka’s greatest sons, Sir D. B. Jayatilaka. It is very...
Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh Thera, one of the world’s most influential Bhikkhus, passed away in Vietnam at the age of 95. The Vietnamese...
Joan Didion: The last American classical writer
Joan Didion, one of America’s leading modern day writers,especially on essays, memoirs, novels and screenplays, died recently at...
Sidney Poitier, the first Black person to win a best actor Oscar, died last week at the age of 94. He gave a string of...
Local music industry
Piracy is a big problem in Sri Lanka. When it comes to the music industry, this is a huge problem because no electronic media,...
Toni Morrison, an author of more than a dozen novels, is the only African American writer to have received the Nobel Prize for...
Celebrating Mahagama Sekara’s 46th death anniversary
Mahagama Sekera is considered the most inspiring poet of modern Sinhala poetry. His collections of poetry such as Heta Irak Payay...
With the Covid-19 pandemic one of the severely affected fields is the book industry. During the past two years it experienced a...
This year’s Swarna Pustaka award (the Golden Book award) for the best Sinhala novel went to ‘Bherunda Kedella’ by Rupa Sriyani...
‘Translating Myself and Others’Author: Jhumpa LahiriPublisher: Princeton University PressJhumpa Lahiri, a Bengali-origin American...
The State Literary Awards festival for 2021 was held at the BMICH last week. There, the prize for the best Sinhala novel in 2020...
A documentary film on world renowned Czech writer Milan Kundera was launched recently in Prague as Milan Kundera: From The Joke...
The prize of prizes, the Nobel Prize for literature 2021 was awarded to Abdulrazak Gurnah, a Tanzanian-born novelist and academic...
Book: Sinhala Novel and the Public Sphere: Three Illustrative MomentsAuthor: WimalDissanayakePublisher: Visidunu Prakashakayo (...
Title - Sailed I on Life like a Lark in the SkyAuthor – Namel WeeramuniPublisher – Sarasavi Publishers‘Sailed I on Life like a...
The great historian archaeologist Dr. Senarath Paranavithana’s 49th death anniversary falls on tomorrow, (4 October). During the...
When talking about American literature, there are three authors who are considered three pillars of it. The first is William...
Veteran Sinhala writer Tennyson Perera’s new collection of short stories titled Re Vuna Eli Une Ne (The night without a dawn) is...
Buddhadeb Guha
Eminent Indian - Bengali writer Buddhadeb Guha passed away two weeks ago on August 29 at the age of 85. He is a prolific author...
Maal Wijayarathna, an author and retired teacher of Royal College, Colombo, published his autobiography as Nacha So Nacha Angno (...
The 83rd birth anniversary of Girish Raghunath Karnad, one of modern India’s greatest cultural figures, fell on May 19. To mark...
No doubt, he is the most seminal intellectual, literary figure and dramatist Sri Lanka has ever produced. He is Veditantrige...
Wimal G. Balagalle:
Professor Emeritus Wimal G. Balagalle, the last of the early generation of erudite scholars, passed away two weeks ago, on July...
If someone considers Sinhala short story writers in Sri Lanka, the first name after Martin Wickramasinghe that comes into mind is...
“Kaluachchigamage Jayatilake, better known to his readers as K. Jayatilaka, can be ranked among the topmost creative writers and...
Veteran artiste Buddhadasa Galappatthy’s two new books “Jeewana Susuma” (Moaning of Soul), a collection of short stories and “...
Prof. Sunanda Mahendra’s new novel Nirmohanaya (Disillusion) was launched recently by Dayawansa Jayakody book publishers.The...
Acclaimed, popular novelist Mohan Raj Madawala’s new novel in Sinhala I.D., published by Biso, was launched for the past BMICH...
Veteran writer A.M.P. Padeniya’s autobiography in Sinhala, Neerawwa (The Pond which hasn’t seen the rays of sunlight), published...
When reading the series of Gunadasa Amarasekara’s novels beginning with ‘Gamanaka Mula’, what strikes the reader is how...
Podu Janayage Pattarakaraya (The People’s journalist), a biography of Dayasena Gunasinghe by Denagama Siriwardhane was launched...
Gratiaen Trust, a non-governmental literary organisation founded in 1992 by the internationally renowned writer of Sri Lankan...
Dharmasiri Cinemawalokanaya (Insights into Dharmasiri’s cinematic vision) written by Jeewantha Dayananda, a writer on cinema, was...
‘Elina Jayewardene’, a Sinhala biography of the wife of late President J.R. Jayewardene by Sagarika Dissanayake, a veteran...
Tharupathi Munsinghe Senior Lecturer Drama & Theatre and Image Arts UnitDepartment of Fine ArtsUniversity of...
Veteran writer Gunasena Withana’s autobiography in Sinhala titled Dasaka Ataka Mataka (Memories of Eight Decades), published by...
Corona Diary, a Sinhala book on Covid-19 pandemic, written by Milinda Rajapaksha was launched recently. It describes the events...
Saman Athaudahetti is a veteran travel writer, radio journalist, translator and program presenter. His latest translation, third...
Prof. Anura Wickramasinghe is an instructor in journalism and Sinhala grammarian. Graduated from the University of Peradeniya in...
Rohita Munasinghe is an expatriate Sinhala writer in France. Starting from the Kalu Dumäraya (Dark Smoke), a short story...
Shantha K. Herath is a veteran painter, cartoonist, illustrator and book cover designer. He has published two monographs of his...