Professional editing of books by authors

In recent times we have seen a few outstanding publishers in this country bringing out a number of books in English by Lankan writers. They are professionally printed and produced. The printer’s devil and faulty construction and punctuation creep in unwarrantedly at times.

I do not think that we have in Sri Lanka a band of professional editors of books. Most reputed publishing houses abroad do have such a band of professionals that does a good job in presenting a copy for publication. We come to know that there is in fact a company that does this job creditably. It’s known as ‘The Guardian Angels’.

The members of this company, we are told, has its members who are highly experienced. “They are themselves award-winning authors. Their business is to advise authors on a range of matters relating to writing and getting their work published. They will look after the omission of misprints or other irritating errors - that its punctuation is perfect and there is a flow in their writing. They assure writers that effective writing is brought about. The writers would be protected from poor expression, faulty syntax, trite vocabulary, inconsistent - development”.

I gathered this information from a distinguished academic and critic who had been away from Sri Lanka for sometime. She is Emeritus Professor Yasmine Gooneratne. She taught English / Humanities at the Macquire University in Australia. She is an author of many internationally recognized critical works. She has in addition a doctorate from Cambridge University.

Yasmine Gooneratne was associated with “Commonwealth Literature” for a long time compiling a bibliography on Sri Lankan writing in the journal’s annual editions. She has many other achievements to her credit. She visits Sri Lanka three times a year, we are told. She has written three novels so far.

Dr. Yasmine Gooneratne is not only an academic but also a creative writer. I must admit that I have not read any of her fiction so far. The Mellen Press has published what may be called a ‘definitive edition’ of Leonard Woolf’s novel “The Village in the Jungle”, which she completed last year.

It was published last December to coincide with the Woolf centenary. Dr Yasmine Gooneratne has reasons to pinpoint that she “finds it very sad to see how steeply standards have fallen in English-language publishing, in newspapers as well as books. From what I hear, teaching in the schools too is not what it was.” Her husband, Dr. Brendon Gooneratne, a well known sportsman and author runs the Pemberly House in the hillcountry. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Gooneratnes remember me.

I happened to review a book in English by Dr.Brendon Gooneratne under the headline ‘Understanding the Sinhala Mind’ for the then Sunday Island edited by Gamini Weerakoon. I was gratified to receive an e-mail from Yasmine recently wherein she says: “It’s nice to read the papers every time I come back to Sri Lanka, and find you keeping up your dedicated task of educating our ‘English-educated’ readers about the existence of Thamilian literature!” But may I add that I sometimes ‘cover’ activities pertaining to Lankan English and Sinhala cultural activities too.

So I am not exclusively Thamil-obsessed only, please. She adds: “It’s a long time since I edited a piece of yours (Ilankeeran’s Novel “Thentralum Puyalum”) for Dick Hensman’s “Community” in the 1960s, but you must have broken a record by now for sheer tenacity and devotion to a cause”.

I am so happy that people who matter read this columnist’s writing even though [K.S. Sivakumaran] my pieces are not studied academic writing. I write mainly for the uninitiated average readers. Thank you, Dr.Yasmine Gooneratne for your encouraging words. May I suggest that committed writers who wish to improve their writing and publishing standards contact “The Guardian Angels Editing Service”. You may reach them by e-mail: [email protected]

Forgotten film authority

An Indian Thamilian’s work on the Indian Cinema was an authentic work some decades ago. The author was S. Krishnaswamy. He is the son of a progressive and path-setter of some outstanding Thamil films in the 1940s and 1950s, K. Subramaniam. Krishnaswamy is also the brother of the reputed Bharatha Natyam dancer, Padma Subramaniam.

They all belong to orthodox Brahmin family in Thamilnadu, but are social-conscious people with a ‘progressive’ outlook. On August 20, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the US International Film and Video Festival was presented to S.Krishnaswamy, who was also a well-known documentary film maker.

The award was handed over to India’s Consul General in San Francisco on June 4, as Krishnaswamy was convalescing after a coronary bypass surgery in Chennai. The Catalyst Trust in Chennai organized the felicitation function. The Chief Executive Officer of “Prasar Bharati” K.S. Sharma presented the award.

Felicitating the awardee, the recipient of the highest literary award in India, the “Gnana Peedam Award”, an outstanding Thamil writer, D. Jeyakanthan said that “Krishnaswamy’s films depicted India in the manner national poet of India, Subramania Bharathi dreamt of.” He added: “In a nutshell all his films are nothing but the perception of India from Thamilians’ viewpoint.”

Jeyakanthan, himself a realistic filmmaker, recalled his association with Krishnaswamy and his contributions towards spreading awareness about Indian culture and heritage. It was reported that at the felicitation ceremony that “Prasar Bharati” had requested Krishnaswamy to do a film on “Imprints of India” on the impact of the Indian ethos on its neighbours.

Krishnaswamy had visited Sri Lanka many times. I am sure our own film makers like Lester James Peries and Tissa Abeysekera et al, would remember S. Krishnasamy. Speaking at the function, well known editor N. Ram of “The Hindu” remarked that the uniqueness of Krishnaswamy’s films lay in their non-superficial nature.

Metra-criticism

It means examination of the principles, methods, and terms of criticism either in general (as in critical theory) or in the study of particular critics or critical debates. The principles underlying critical interpretation and judgment may be termed meta-criticism, as I learnt from an author, whose name I cannot remember now.

Contact: [email protected]

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