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. |
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Page 52
... kitchen into a vast theatre of the culinary arts . Others from ' down the road and cross the lane ' were sweeping , dusting , polishing , scouring , cleaning , mopping , rubbing and scrubbing . Even the gate had been scraped and washed ...
... kitchen into a vast theatre of the culinary arts . Others from ' down the road and cross the lane ' were sweeping , dusting , polishing , scouring , cleaning , mopping , rubbing and scrubbing . Even the gate had been scraped and washed ...
Page 59
... kitchen . ' ' All the work ' was the understatement of the year . Never had a kitchen in a Dehiwela home been so overworked , so hectic , yet so perfect in what it produced . Maudiegirl had this passion . A meal , be it the humblest of ...
... kitchen . ' ' All the work ' was the understatement of the year . Never had a kitchen in a Dehiwela home been so overworked , so hectic , yet so perfect in what it produced . Maudiegirl had this passion . A meal , be it the humblest of ...
Page 164
... kitchen . ' No more school , ' Elsie yapped , ' Sit in the house and work ! ' Noella and Dorcas , on the other hand , were quite brilliant , and while Dorcas grew tall and gawky and looked quite stork - like with her long , unmuscled ...
... kitchen . ' No more school , ' Elsie yapped , ' Sit in the house and work ! ' Noella and Dorcas , on the other hand , were quite brilliant , and while Dorcas grew tall and gawky and looked quite stork - like with her long , unmuscled ...
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Common terms and phrases
Anna baby beef Beryl bloody Bloss bottle bring British brothers brought buggers Burgher cake called Carloboy carried Cecilprins child Christmas church Colombo Colontota coming considered course court daughter door drink eggs Elaine Elsie Elva Eric everything eyes face Father fellow Florrie fruit gate gave George getting girl give hand head Iris keep kitchen knew lady Lane Leah legs letter listen live look Lord Mama manner marry Maudiegirl months morning mother moved never never mind nice night nodded Opel Papa poor railway road shouting Sinhalese Sonnaboy sort sure talk tell thing thought told took Totoboy tree turned Viva wait wedding whole wife woman write