SRI LANKA: TOUCHING LIVES

The literary tradition and culture of

Sri Lanka is greatly influenced by the
philosophy of tenets of Buddhism.
The Dhammapada is a collection of
sayings of Buddha.

Like a teardrop hanging loosely from

the southern tip of India, Sri Lanka,
a tropical island, was formerly
identified on the map of Asia as
Ceylon.
With its splendid coasts, glittering
beaches, and mist-capped highlands.
In Sanskrit language, the land was
known as Ratnadvipa, the Island of
gems. From muddy waters comes
incredibly beauty rubies,
sapphires, topazes, amethysts,
garnets. There are also zircons,
tourmalines, and milky opalescent
moonstones, which are supposed to
safeguard the wearer from lunacy.

MANAME

Beginning with the nineteenth

century, Western influence,
particularly the Victorian Age of
English literature, is discernible.
During this period, the Maname and
Sinhabahu were best known. There
were lyrical dramas in which music
was an essential part. Another
development was the novel. Martin
Wickremasinghe was the leading
novelist.

SINHABAHU
In 1983, Marcelline Jayekody, Omi,
popular columnist of Times of
Ceylon, editor of the Sinhala paper,
Gnarnartha Pradipaya, received the
Ramon Magsaysay Award for
journalism, Litearature, and Creative
Communication Arts. With this
event, Sri Lankan arts and letters
made a distinctive mark in the
literary word.