Sri Lanka Literary Essays & Sketches

This anthology consists of articles on Sri Lankan literary works written (with a few exceptions) in English. For the benefit of non-Sri Lankan readers, something of the necessary historical, political and cultural background is provided. Broadening into the field of cultural studies, the volume includes comment on films based on, or relevant to, Sri Lanka. Published over several years (the first in 1989), the articles reflect changes in the Island and, therefore, in the concern of its writers. Section 2, Related articles, consists of a reading of Conrads Heart of Darkness from a Buddhist and Hindu perspective; an examination of the term racism, and a “meditation” on an aspect of the Sri Lankan exile experience. Sketches, the last section, contains two imaginative pieces and a factual, tsunami-related, incident.Altogether, this anthology will be of use not only to students of the Islands English-language literature but also to those who have a general interest in Asia and Sri Lanka.