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. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 90
Page 85
... night , they are all churches , temples , mosques — like the brides of our modern weddings : To be had and then put ... night of Vesak ( Wesak ) is such a night . This is the commemoration of the birth , enlightenment and passing away of ...
... night , they are all churches , temples , mosques — like the brides of our modern weddings : To be had and then put ... night of Vesak ( Wesak ) is such a night . This is the commemoration of the birth , enlightenment and passing away of ...
Page 168
... night was an inferno of death and devastation . They fought on , long boots bedaubed with the blood of the fallen , hour after hour . There was no one to mark the setting of the sun , the coming of another night . And then , utterly ...
... night was an inferno of death and devastation . They fought on , long boots bedaubed with the blood of the fallen , hour after hour . There was no one to mark the setting of the sun , the coming of another night . And then , utterly ...
Page 356
... night he goes out . I think he goes and eats somewhere in the night . ' Mrs Rosa would lie in her room wondering . The lodger always left at ten p.m. Sometimes the sound of the key in the door would disturb her . One night she rose and ...
... night he goes out . I think he goes and eats somewhere in the night . ' Mrs Rosa would lie in her room wondering . The lodger always left at ten p.m. Sometimes the sound of the key in the door would disturb her . One night she rose and ...
Contents
Under the Umbrella | 3 |
The Leafy Mango Tree | 14 |
Shabby People | 23 |
Copyright | |
19 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
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