Focus on Books :

Works of de Lanerolle researched

Prof. SUnanda Mahendra

Title: Panhindaka Viskam

(Wonders of the scribe)

A study of the works of V D de Lanerolle (1893-1977) the writer poet and journalist.

Publisher: Sadeepa Publishing House, Colombo 2008

Price: Rs 300

The Sinhala journalist, and novelist Yasawardhana Rodrigo has embarked on a study long forgotten by many others.

According to Rodrigo’s present study on V D de Lanerolle the writer, poet, journalist and contributor of children’s supplementary readers at school level of education was once given the chance to address an enthusiastic literary gathering in Bomiriya, birthplace of both Rodrigo and Lanerolle.

Rodrigo says that he had the chance of carefully scrutinising the history where he could place de Lanerolle and his literary contributions.

Hence he triggered off to a target of interest which ultimately culminating in the methodical compilation of a hunting for the source material and interpret to the present reader the various literary cultural and historical nuances embedded in them. As a starting point the researcher Rodrigo goes into the distant past in order to perceive who these Lanerolles are.

The entire commencing chapter deals with these chronological material that go as far back as the migration of a certain French lineage who gradually settled down first in the hill country and had come to stay in the law country, where they are said to have acculturized into the indigenous settlement absorbing the language, religion and culture as their own.

Coming on to the literary contributions of V D de Lanerolle the researcher throws much light on his knowledge of Lanerolle as regards poetics and folklore.

The gamut of works of V D de Lanerolle could be categorized into about eight of ten sub categories as he had excelled in the adaptation of several foreign tales into local Sinhala language suitable for the reading at school level.

Then come special categories of works that could be ranged as reminiscences or nostalgic works such as remembering the events of the past as recorded in books such as Atitaya, which had been a bestseller. This book of remembrances covers various aspects such as people, events, notes, legends, religious traits and politics.

The writer de Lanerolle had gone to the extent of writing most of these books in exile in places like asylums, as he has liked enjoyed the bliss of being treated by others taking him as a mental patient.

This pretext had worked wonders, resulting in the production of self referential books titled as Umatu Tharunaya (Crazy Boy) and Mage modakam, hapankam, saha purasaran (My frailties, skills and praises). These books have won the readership over the years not only for the humour that had evoked but also for the sheer boldness in the presentation, devoid of inhibitions.

Then comes a significant contribution called Piyasirige Pasal Samaya (School Days of Piyasiri). Said to be autobiographed and partly fictitious highly readable and packed with socio cultural and historical actualities drawn from a particular social frame of the colonial times.

The book is reminiscent of one of the favourite English books of the time called ‘Tom Brown’s School Days’ which came to be branded as significant work in the juvenile literature.

Lanerolle was perpetually dwelling in the field of poetry with various experimentation that go into the making of children’s poetry, love poetry, sandesa or messenger poetry (one remarkable contribution is Malavi Sandesaya) and an editor of a monthly magazine kavindraya devoted to poetry.

He had also translated quite a number of poems from English, which include those from Milton Shakespeare, Longfellow, Goldsmith, Tennyson, Ben Jones and etc.

Though not strictly adhering to a translation Lanerolle’s mode of creation lay on the adaptive presentation of the central experience of the original.

Most of what he had adapted into Sinhala are included in the work known as Batahira Manikya (Gems of the Occident).

In this work there are 30 poems. V D de Lanerolle had been the first Sinhala writer to carefully compile Mahadenamutta legends which had gone through several prints over the years.

The outspokenness and the coldness in the judgement had been, according to Rodrigo, the salient indelible qualities of Lanerolle. He gives us several examples where Lanerolle had to undergo harassment owing to that behaviour.

Nevertheless Lanerolle had not been swayed by the views of other, as he was one of the most independent creators of his time. Several high calibred literary scholars such as Munidasa Cumaratunga and Martin Wickramasinghe had been his close friends.

According to the findings of Rodrigo the writer creator de Lanerolle had been a prolific writer who had written more than hundred books at a time when the printing process was at an infant stage.

To his credit de Lanerolle in a sense of ecstasy had marked on printing and publishing project, which had been a failure. In this manner the findings of Rodrigo on de Lanerolle are quite exciting and stimulating for us who grew with him.

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