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 200
... bodies to be seen at city junctions and crossroads . Stretching sinews pulled , twisted as the bodies burned , made many horrible postures . Dead , blackened bodies , hands raised , legs upwards , sometimes arched outwards from the ...
... bodies to be seen at city junctions and crossroads . Stretching sinews pulled , twisted as the bodies burned , made many horrible postures . Dead , blackened bodies , hands raised , legs upwards , sometimes arched outwards from the ...
Page 201
... bodies meet bodies like nobody's business . The ' ilka ' lads are disappearing into some kind of a time warp . . then gruesomely reappearing . Only , they are no longer lads . They are bodies . In a single week Heerassagala counted 48 ...
... bodies meet bodies like nobody's business . The ' ilka ' lads are disappearing into some kind of a time warp . . then gruesomely reappearing . Only , they are no longer lads . They are bodies . In a single week Heerassagala counted 48 ...
Page 203
... bodies continue to meet bodies and tongues keep wagging . Sometimes , as what happened in nearby Dangolla , you don't even meet the bodies . Just the heads neatly arranged in a row . Like that old nursery game of ' Oranges and Lemons ...
... bodies continue to meet bodies and tongues keep wagging . Sometimes , as what happened in nearby Dangolla , you don't even meet the bodies . Just the heads neatly arranged in a row . Like that old nursery game of ' Oranges and Lemons ...
Contents
Under the Umbrella | 3 |
The Leafy Mango Tree | 14 |
Shabby People | 23 |
Copyright | |
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Angelbeck arms asked become began bodies bring British building called carried Ceylon child Church close Colombo coming Company dark door dragged Dutch East established eyes face father fire followed force Fort Galle garden Gate girls give given Governor guns hands harbour head hold hour hundred India island keep kill king knew lake land later letter light live London looked Malays marched mother moved never night officers Pass Pettah police political port Portuguese road seemed ships side Sinhalese Sri Lanka stands station stood Street taken tell thing thought thousand told took trade tree turned wait walk walls watch wife woman