Imagination Farfetched
By K.S.Sivakumaran
While most Lankans write realistic fiction in the three languages of the country, most foreign writers lay importance to imagination. ‘Imagination’ is the key word in most fiction in the English language, particularly in the U.S. and U.K. Even Lanka origin expatriate writers focus on exotica- meaning outlandish stories- based sometimes on Sri Lanka.
Because these books ’sell’. If you go through some of the book reviews of say NYT, you would find books coming under the category of crime, espionage, romance, historical etc. are reviewed under fiction. Most writers spin stories having Hollywood in mind. Sociological realistic fiction mainly comes from other nations using the English language.
Take for instance the book under review - In the Shadow of the Tamarind Tree by Mathew S Friedman.
He happened to be in Lanka just after the Tsunami disaster in December 2004. He spent a month working for the USAID to provide immediate relief support. He is interested in different cultures in South Asia.
He is a dreamer with rich images surging in his mind. He says:” having visited the island three times before, I felt as if whatever story was playing out in my mind was happening along the Sri Lankan coast”
I read this short fiction, but this type of story is not my cup of tea, but it doesn’t matter. I know a lot of teenagers would like to read this type of stories as they do Harry Potter, for instance.
The book is published by Vijitha Publishers. The kernel of the story is this: “Set in Sri Lanka, it traces a gentle relationship between an elderly widower who had given up on life and a young girl who had just lost her brother in a tragic accident. Both were trying to escape their respective grief and deal with the burden of guilt and sorrow when they were brought together by circumstance and fate.”
We agree that the ” story weaves the threads of love and loss of faith in the meaning of life together in a manner that walks the reader down a path where the concept of destiny, time and the affirming quality of life are called into question.”
Clearly the writer is trying to bring in a splash of religious concepts woven into the fiction. In that sense it is a welcome introduction to the western world some tenets of Buddhism.
The writer wants to highlight the ‘reality that rebirth and a sense of healing can follow even the most terrible tragedy.
Even if the book is targeted for a western readership, even Lankans could refresh folklore and strong cultural symbolism in inherent in their culture.
Contact:sivakumaranks@yahoo.com
