Stories of beauty past compare

Preethimath Kumaraya saha Tharuna Rajathuma

A collection of eight short stories by Oscar Wilde.

Translated into Sinhala by Ranjith Dharmakeerthi

Published by Visidunu Prakashakayo, Boralesgamuwa.

REVIEWED BY LYNN Ockersz

DISTILLED in these eight enduring and deeply endearing short stories by English story telling legend, Oscar Wilde, is the wisdom of the ages.

The good news is that these literary gems could now be accessed by the Sinhala reading public in translation form, thanks to the literary and translation skills of well-known dramatist and local man of letters, Ranjith Dharmakeerthi, and to the foresight of the publishers concerned, Visidunu Prakashakayo, Boralesgamuwa, whose discriminating tastes have made available to the local public over the years a fund of rare books on Sri Lanka and its people besides other priceless publications.

Named after two of the most poignant short stories in the original collection, 'Preethimath Kumaraya saha Tharuna Rajathuma' could be considered as having arrived on the Sinhala literary scene at a most crucial stage in this country's socio-political history.

For, consumerism and self-aggrandising individualism have made corrosive inroads into the local culture and subjected to immense pressure the country's spiritual heritage.

It is an age in which the language of humanism and social solidarity is fast disappearing. To many, 'getting rich quick' by hook or by crook, seems to be a guidepost to effective living.

For such a 'brave new world', these beautiful tales by Oscar Wilde offer a profoundly different approach to living, encompassing within them perennial moral truths which have fertilised over the centuries the world's most illustrious civilisations.

Interestingly, most of the stories in this collection deal with the growth of the human personality from a position of selfishness and egocentricism to exemplary humanity and love for others.

For most central characters, ultimate self-fulfilment and personal glory take the form of service and loving-kindness, for particularly the powerless and poverty-stricken.

This theme is poignantly dramatised in 'The Happy Prince' and the 'Youthful King' for instance.

It could be argued that the central character in 'The Happy Prince' is the little bird who at the request of the talking statue of the deceased Prince, which stands at a commanding height in a European city centre, divests the monument of its finery and carries it to those in the neighbourhood, dying of hunger and want.

Although the bird is in a hurry to migrate to warmer climes to escape the winter, he stays on in response to the statue's pleas and helps the afflicted.

The bird eventually dies in the freezing cold and the statue, shorn of its finery and shimmer, is smelted for its gold by the City Fathers. But we are told that the bird is singing in Paradise and that the Prince is in the warm comfort of his Creator.

The transcendence of selfishness and self-absorption in 'The Youthful King' takes the form of a young, pleasure-loving, wealth-craving, Head-of-State seeing the truth of his vain existence in a series of dreams and deciding to lead a simple, service-oriented, and spartan life.

In his dreams he sees the inhuman cruelty the powerful and wealthy visit on the down-trodden in society for the sake of feathering the nests of the former.

The result is a complete change of heart and mind on the part of the young king.

In the story titled 'The Selfish Giant', an overbearing giant chases away scores of children who play in his garden merrily, without his permission.

As a result, what seems to be an eternal winter settles on his garden, blighting all forms of greenery and vegetation. The giant's suffering ends when he helps an abandoned child and gives it an opportunity to play in his orchard. Immediately, his sultry orchard gushes with greenery and splendour.

The giant resolves never to be cruel and selfish.

There are profound morals of this kind in each of these eight stories. What adds to their fascination is their absorbing drama and suspense-creating story lines. The crisp, lucid Sinhala in which they are told, adds to their attractiveness.

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Romancing with water and paint

Diyasayam Chitra

Author: M. D. S. Gunatilleke

Author publication 52 A, Mapanawatura, Kandy

Price Rs. 300

WRITERS, painters, sculptures and musicians are never made but born. A scientist could be trained but these men and women of aesthetics are on a higher pedestal in human activities.

M. D. S. Gunatilleke, the author-cum-painter had his early education at Wadduwa Central College.

Thereafter he had continued his studies at the Colombo, Government Institute of Aesthetic Studies and had gained his diploma in painting, and had qualified at the examination for the recruitment of teachers in art.

Thereafter he had until retirement served in many government schools as an art teacher, and continuing his own discipline gaining first place in water colours paintings all-island competitions from 1996 to 1998 and also 2003 and 2004.

In the back cover of 'Diyasayam Chitra' Kalakeerthi Prof. Ashley Halpe, recounts the biography of M. D. S. Gunatilleke, which merits reproduction as this is a pioneering work.'

"Mr. Gunatilleke has been a devotee of art since his days in middle school. While serving as a draftman in the Land Commissioner's Department for ten years he took a course at Heywood as a part time student for six years and was able to move into the profession of art teacher in 1967. He has spent 23 years in devoted service to art education in the State system.

He now continues the good work with private students at his home in Mapanawatura near Kandy. He has displayed his own prowess in seven one-man shows and has won several prizes in national competitions."

"Mr. Gunatilleke's Diyasayam Chitra says Prof. Ashley Halpe, is the first serious attempt by an experienced and highly skilled practitioners and teacher to produce a book in Sinhala for students in schools and enthusiasts of the art of water-colour painting.

He has presented the entire range of skills associated with the art and its application in landscape painting and has made suggestion concerning such practical matters as the choice of materials, working in the open and posture at the easel.

The book includes illustrations some of them in full colour. With enormous interest in art that he has developed in schools since the first impact of C. F. Winzor and W. J. Beling this is a book that will greatly assist teachers and young students all over the country.

This is the first of three books on the various fields of water-colour painting. Volumes on figure drawing and still life representations are to follow."

The book takes the students and the enthusiasts through 13 chapters, initiation to water-colour painting, utensils, the ideal environment for painting, executing a painting, the use of water colours to facilitate the budding painter to his steps scientifically for the execution of a final product of eye storming creation.

It is just like a guideline in surgery, dealing with every aspect, with the minute and microscopic attention, in order the student would reach the very same standard the author-cum painter has reached after years of toil and moil with the brush and water-colours.

The utensils too are given as painted by him, the mix of colours too are portrayed in their colours. There are 37 drawings in colour with ten landscape paintings. The book is printed on glossy paper which enhances the quality of the paintings.

M. D. S. Gunatilleke has served as a visiting lecturer at Aesthetic Studies Teachers' College and another forte of his, is photography, and holds the degree A.N.P.A.S. (Ceylon) awarded by the Sri Lanka National Photographers Society and he is also a member of the Royal Photographic Society of London.

Incidentally, the first ever Buddhist picture story book in Sinhala Mahakarunika katha' the dialogues crafted by Australian monk Shravasthi Dhammika in English and rendered into colloquial Sinhala by this reviewer, had the distinction of having the pictures drawn by M. D. S. Gunatilleke.

'Diyasayam Chitra' is a treatise that should be in the shelf of every school library and public library in the island as well as university libraries and also to be in possession as a guide book by students at school levels, undergraduates in aesthetic arts at university level and art teachers.

- Rohan L. Jayetilleke

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Successful mini novel

Api Yalui

Author: Anula de Silva

A Godage publication

80 pp. Price Rs. 100

THERE are many novels and short stories based on the ethnic conflict. Anula de Silva's latest mini novel Api Yalui too is one that has the ethnic problem at its base.

The protagonist of the novel is "Pali" or "Gopali Krishnamurti". In fact, it is the story of Pali narrated by herself. She is an up-country Tamil girl who attends a Sinhala school.

Like most poor Tamil girls, she finds a place in a compassionate Sinhalese family. Being a small girl she does not do much work except looking after two babies. Although she works as a domestic aide, she goes to school.

Her mistress calls her 'Pali', instead of "Gopali' just to hide her Tamil identity. She wins her mistress's confidence and spends most of her time with Tharindu and Sunali. After some time Pali becomes more or less a member of the household.

Towards the end of the novel comes the climax with extremists setting fire to houses owned by Tamils.

Pali manages to turn the mob away but she witnessed how her neighbour's house was attacked mercilessly. As a child, however, she fails to understand the meaning of the activities going around her small world.

Anula de Silva has captured man's inhumanity to man by portraying the mob attacks on a section of the community. Although it runs into only 80 pages, Api Yalui is a successful mini novel.

- R. S. Karunaratne