ABSTRACT

This companion presents a critical collection of Sinhala resistance literature from Sri Lanka. It includes translated short stories and excerpts from Sinhala novels, written after the civil war in the country. Featuring national award-winning writers, the selected texts share a common theme of resistance as the writers write against an exclusivist nationalism that was propagated through mass media and platforms of party politics in Sri Lanka during the war.

The volume addresses crucial issues such as the fate of civilians in war, the role of religion in Sri Lankan polity, media censorship, the experience of women in war, as well as the current education system and youth problems in present day Sri Lanka. It highlights an alternate discourse that runs among the ethnic Sinhala group and contributes to the overall movement towards peace and reconciliation among the different ethnic communities in Sri Lanka.

A unique addition to the growing oeuvre of translated Sinhala literature, the companion will be indispensable to students, scholars, and researchers of ethnic studies, war and peace studies, peace and conflict studies, literature, cultural studies, political sociology, and South Asian studies, particularly those interested in Sri Lankan literature.

chapter |42 pages

Introduction

Writing and Resistance

part I|43 pages

Tamil Identity, Ethnic Politics, and Violence

chapter 1|21 pages

The Heart That Bears

chapter 2|8 pages

Father

chapter 3|5 pages

Are You Alright?

chapter 4|7 pages

Radha on the Beach

part II|24 pages

Environment, Land, and Ethnic Competition

chapter 5|15 pages

The Rape of Singing Mountain

chapter 6|7 pages

Fire at Amazon Forest

part III|33 pages

Sinhala and Muslim Identity Politics

chapter 7|8 pages

The Muslim Reverend 1

chapter 8|6 pages

The Bhikshu Ward

chapter 9|17 pages

Love

part IV|48 pages

Women in Conflict

chapter 11|8 pages

Only a Name 1

chapter 12|26 pages

Sisters

chapter 13|8 pages

The Old House

part V|16 pages

Economy, Class, and Violence

chapter 14|10 pages

Treasure Hunters 1

chapter 15|4 pages

The Black Hole

part VI|59 pages

Religion, Faith, and Politics

chapter 16|24 pages

The Dragon Arch

chapter 19|17 pages

Glimpses Into Intrigues Past

Monks, Nobles, Children, Servants, and Tribes

part VII|36 pages

Media and Censorship

part VIII|49 pages

Militarization of Society

chapter 23|34 pages

Two Friends

chapter 24|13 pages

Deer-Slayer Salaman 1

part IX|24 pages

Corruption as an Everyday Event

chapter 26|11 pages

The New Vehicle 1

part X|24 pages

Alienation in Societies with Conflict

chapter 28|16 pages

Five Years