Colombo: A NovelColombo is in the throes of an explosion. Its face changes continuously, its vices are legion, its future as yet obscure and its paths speak of sunlight as well as of shadow.-' Carl Muller begins his quasi-fictional portrait of this beautiful, war-torn city by describing the great battles fought over it by European colonizers-. In AD 1505, a Portuguese fleet blown off-course took shelter in Galle, overthrew the local kings, fortified Colombo and decided to stay. The Dutch came along, ousted the Portuguese, made Colombo their capital and ruled till the British arrived and sent them packing. Muller intersperses the tales of the past into descriptions of the battles that are being fought in Colombo today"political battles in which vested interests play a major role as well as battles fought on the individual level in the struggle to survive: young women and children turning to prostitution to earn an extra buck, people begging in the streets to make ends meet, unemployed young men turning to crime in frustration, students demonstrating against atrocities, lovers pining for nightfall in order to push away loneliness if only for a few moments... Written in Muller's lucid style, Colombo: A Novel is a chronicle of a city's trials and triumphs. |
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Page 87
... Sinhala race . Accordingly , he gave to the keeping of the king of the gods , Sakka , the welfare of the prince and ... Sinhalese : its religion , culture , art , legend , tradition and its hopes for tomorrow . It is a night , then , of ...
... Sinhala race . Accordingly , he gave to the keeping of the king of the gods , Sakka , the welfare of the prince and ... Sinhalese : its religion , culture , art , legend , tradition and its hopes for tomorrow . It is a night , then , of ...
Page 215
... ( Sinhala : balke ) and the attic was the solder ( Sinhala : soldera ) . There is another corridor to the rear veranda and then a small , open square of paved courtyard or compound . On two sides of this square are the storerooms ...
... ( Sinhala : balke ) and the attic was the solder ( Sinhala : soldera ) . There is another corridor to the rear veranda and then a small , open square of paved courtyard or compound . On two sides of this square are the storerooms ...
Page 318
... Sinhala . He also put out some devotional books and a hymnal in Tamil . Yet another French clergyman who came to the island , was soon writing in classical Sinhala and was much admired by the Sinhalese scholars of the time . for . Yes ...
... Sinhala . He also put out some devotional books and a hymnal in Tamil . Yet another French clergyman who came to the island , was soon writing in classical Sinhala and was much admired by the Sinhalese scholars of the time . for . Yes ...
Contents
Under the Umbrella | 3 |
The Leafy Mango Tree | 14 |
Shabby People | 23 |
Copyright | |
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