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 84
... temples and dagabas of the Buddhists . This may seem strange in a land where Buddhism took hold over 2500 years ago , but when the Portuguese arrived , there was political disunity and kingdoms divided against themselves . Old Sinhalese ...
... temples and dagabas of the Buddhists . This may seem strange in a land where Buddhism took hold over 2500 years ago , but when the Portuguese arrived , there was political disunity and kingdoms divided against themselves . Old Sinhalese ...
Page 85
... temples in Colombo today have also become venues of touristic interest , many becoming showpieces for tour groups ... temples stand , cool , shaded oases in the teeming city , their white cupolas gleaming like the single breasts of ...
... temples in Colombo today have also become venues of touristic interest , many becoming showpieces for tour groups ... temples stand , cool , shaded oases in the teeming city , their white cupolas gleaming like the single breasts of ...
Page 92
... temples , the mosques , call the shots . There is power in these places , seemingly latent , but always simmering ... Temple in Bambalapitiya occupies the richest stretch of land in the area . It is land which property developers would ...
... temples , the mosques , call the shots . There is power in these places , seemingly latent , but always simmering ... Temple in Bambalapitiya occupies the richest stretch of land in the area . It is land which property developers would ...
Contents
Under the Umbrella | 3 |
The Leafy Mango Tree | 14 |
Shabby People | 23 |
Copyright | |
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