All is BurningIn these stories Jean Arasanayagam brings us voices that are not normally heard: those of anonymous men and women searching for order and reason in the midst of a ruthless civil war. While many succumb to the horror of their times, there are others who discover in themselves unexpected reserves that will help them survive. Thus a young Sinhala man turns his back on an aimless upper-class existence and joins a group of Tamil refugees smuggling themselves into Germany; a woman goes out alone to see the scene of a carnage to try and find her daughter's lover among the dead and dying; a maid returns from the rich desert city of Doha to the green half-jungle of her village in northern Sri Lanka and rediscovers happiness despite the uncertain future...In addition to stories about the effects of war and violence, this collection also explores aspects of ethnicity and individual choice in a multicultural society. All is Burning is truth-telling at its poignant best. 'Jean Arasanayagam's writing contains some of the most powerful and truthful stories to come out of Sri Lanka...She is a wonderful writer and should be read everywhere.' 'Jean Arasanayagam is one of the most significant voices writing in Sri Lanka today. Her fiction is deeply political in the very best sense of the word, concerned as it is with personal politics of post-colonial identity. Her luminous prose enables her to go straight to the core of her characters' social and personal dilemmas.' --Professor John Thieme, Department of English, The University of Hull |
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Page 30
... veshti were wet and clinging to my loins . I felt myself apart from all that was taking place . Detached , because I was not part of what was going on , uninvolved , yet , by virtue of being a spectator , in some way involved . I could ...
... veshti were wet and clinging to my loins . I felt myself apart from all that was taking place . Detached , because I was not part of what was going on , uninvolved , yet , by virtue of being a spectator , in some way involved . I could ...
Page 260
... veshti had sat before a wood fire , stirring with a huge ladle the sugar , milk and ghee for fresh sweets . The old man's son went quietly into the room and measured out very carefully the colours and essences to be added to the mixture ...
... veshti had sat before a wood fire , stirring with a huge ladle the sugar , milk and ghee for fresh sweets . The old man's son went quietly into the room and measured out very carefully the colours and essences to be added to the mixture ...
Page 398
... veshti and a shirt . He could not understand our gesture . ' They are not mine , ' he said . ' Take them , they are for you . ' He thanked us , prayed for us . We moved away , there were others who needed our ministrations . I could not ...
... veshti and a shirt . He could not understand our gesture . ' They are not mine , ' he said . ' Take them , they are for you . ' He thanked us , prayed for us . We moved away , there were others who needed our ministrations . I could not ...
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Common terms and phrases
apples arrack asked asylum seekers Aunty Bangalore beautiful belonged Bhikkus birds blue body brother burning Camille chiffonier clothes coconut Colombo colour crowds cut-pieces dark daughter death Dewa Domingos door dukkha everything eyes face father fear feel felt flesh flowers friends fruit garden girl gold grass green guerrillas hair hands husband Janine Jasmine journey jungle Kandy knew leave light lives look Lydia Madurai Marcia marriage married Meena Melwyn mind mother Mungo Nanna never night once past pavement perhaps Potter wasps prawn pray Radha road round rupees sambara saree sarong says Serena Shariff shirt silent silk Sinhala sister skin sleep Sometimes stood streets Sulo talk temple things thought trees trishaw veena veshti village voices waiting walk walls watch woman women young