A novel in English on early Yaalpaanam society
 FICTION: The author A. C. Barr Kumarakulasinghe has earlier written a
novel titled a 'Tale of Three Loves'. He was encouraged by a very
affectionate niece of his.
In her memory and as a tribute to her he has also produced a well
written short story titled "The Late Letter". The language employed is
contemporary, and therefore readily communicable as opposed to the
language employed in the novel. It is included in this book.
This is how he begins his short story: "Her name was Prudence. She
was neither a prude nor a dunce. But yet Shelton who had known her from
the time she was a toddler once taunted her by calling her Prude Dense,
'I am not dense, you are dunce, she retorted, stamped her foot and left
him standing amazed at the quickness of her wit and temper.
That was the beginning of their fasting affection and respect for
each other which was to knit them inseparably for the rest of their
lives.
Sincerity
I liked this story, very much because the sincerity of the writer is
evident by the natural style in which it is narrated, and therefore
succeeds in communicating a heartfelt experience.
Community
Now, let's come to the novel. A few members belonging to the Tamil
community have also written fiction in English, but one cannot say that
their writing covers fully the lifestyles of the Thamil-speaking people
in this country.
And although some People have Tamil names, they cannot speak or write
in their mother tongue. S. J. K. Crowther (who was a former Editor of
the Daily News), Alagu Subramaniam (who was a barrister practising in
the UK), C. V. Velupillai (who was a Member of Parliament in 1947 and a
Trade Union leader who wrote in English and Tamil), Rajah Proctor (who I
believe was attached to the Sri Lankan navy), A. Vincent Thurairajah and
a few, more creative writers of the past age. Among the present day
writers are Shyam Selvadurai (who is half Thamilian), Arasanayagam (who
writes plays).
There are also one or two writers who are not Tamils but connected
with this community such as Jean Arasanayagam, who writes about some
aspects of Thamilian life in this country.
There are a few poets like Jegatheswari Nagendran and a few
playwrights belonging to the Tamil community writing in English, A few
academics and one or two freelance critics born in the Tamil community
write about Lankan Tamil writing and the arts.
And of course there are non-Thamil writers in this country who touch
upon Lankan Tamilian life particularly after the estrangement between
most of the Sinhala and Thamil communities in the name of armed struggle
since the late 1980s.
This reviewer does not know the literary background of the writer but
one can infer that he may be related to the Barr Kumarakulasinghe
family, some members of whom are in the legal profession.
The novel depicts a period in the lives of a semi-feudal family in
Yaalpaanam at the turn of the 19th century. That was the time when the
American missionaries came to the northern part of the country) and were
engaged in the field of education and religious conversion.
As such this novel is an interesting fiction recording the foreign
impact on the thinking of the conservative Yaalpaanam society of that
era. The book deserves to be mentioned because this is the first novel
in English depicting the Yaalpaanam of earlier times.
However, in artistic terms, the writing lacks the present day lucid
and translucent style and technique in novel writing. What distracts the
reader most is the post Victorian prose style. And it may be argued that
since the period depicted is 'ancient' the style too should reflect the
conversational style of that era; but one must not forget that the
writer is writing for today's readers, whose mind set and assimilation
have undergone far reaching changes in colour and imagery.
In these days of new style of writing, where the English - English
bookish English has been discarded in creative writing and where
literature in English are created with no more production of English
writing for a UK market, A Flower of the Field may read anachronistic.
The pedantic and woolly style. though admired in years past, is not
in vogue in the close of the century.
However, the progressive tone of the writer, especially against the
rigid caste system in Yaalpaanam and even in characterising the parts
played by the downtrodden class of people deserves commendation.
There is a mild sarcasm in the author's portrayal of the American
characters. The description of love between the Christian converted
Yaalpaanam boy and the American girl is also natural. There are 35
chapters in this novel. The last chapter concludes the story a hundred
years later. That was the time when a railway track was laid newly in
Tellipalai. The white missionaries had departed several decades ago.
Title
What does the title mean?
The aristocratic families in Yaalpaanam, according to the writer,
have 'now mingled with international blood of no great fame or
reputation as the grass in the field. The writer welcomes the change in
the old order.
Traces of biographical and auto-biographical sketches are evident in
this fictionalised novel and as such it is in one sense a source book,
not wish to reveal the story nor discuss the aspects of the novel
because it will remove the freshness of the story.
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