The Jam Fruit TreeWinner of the Gratiean Memorial Prize for the best work in English Literature by a Sri Lankan for 1993 Hilarious, affectionate, candid and moving, this is the story of the Burghers of Sri Lanka... Who are the Burghers? Descended from the Dutch, the Portuguese, the British and other foreigners who arrived in the island-nation of Sri Lanka (and 'mingled' with the local inhabitants), the Burghers often stand out because of their curiously mixed features-grey eyes in an otherwise Dravid face, for instance.... A handsome and guileless people, the Burghers have always lived it up, forever willing to 'put a party'. Carl Muller, a Burgher himself, writes in this quasi-fictional, engaging biography of the lives of his people; they emerge, at the end of his story, as a race of fun-loving, hardy people, much like the jam fruit tree which simply refuses to be contained or destroyed. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Anna anney arrack baby Bambalapitiya bananas beef Bertie Beryl bicycle bloody Bloss Boteju Lane bottle Brea British brothers buggers bungalow Burgher cake Carloboy Cecilprins Ceylon child Christmas chronicler church Colombo Colontota coming damn daughter Dehiwela door dress drink Dunnyboy eggs Elaine Elsie Elva Eric everything eyes face Father Romiel fellow Florrie garden gate George GEORGE GLADSTONE girl give hair head Holdenbottle Iris jam fruit tree Kadugannawa Kataragama kitchen Kotahena lady Leah Leah's legs letter listen look Lord Mama Maudiegirl Mello morning Mutwal never mind nice night nodded Noella Opel Papa Ludwick Pentecostalist Pith Pukka railway road rupees shouting Sinhala Sinhalese smiled Sonnaboy Sonnaboy's Sri Lanka sure talk tell thing thought told took Totoboy veranda Viva von Bloss wait want to marry wash wedding Wellawatte Werkmeister wife woman writing