novels for a trip to Sri Lanka June 22, 2009 5:58 PM Subscribe
What are some good books (novels, preferably, but willing to look into really excellent non-fiction) to get in the mood for my trip to Sri Lanka in August? posted by monkeygenius to media & arts (13 comments total)
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another Ondaatje suggestion (i'm sure the thread will be full of them!): Anil's Ghost. my favourite Ondaatje book of all time. posted by gursky at 6:11 PM on June 22, 2009 [2 favorites]
Monkfish Moon by Romesh Gunesekera. posted by meerkatty at 6:14 PM on June 22, 2009
Arthur C. Clarke's 1979 novel The Fountains of Paradise is set in a fictional island country that he described as "about 90% congruent with the island of Ceylon [Sri Lanka]" (where, of course, he lived from 1956 until his death last year). Plus, space elevator! posted by mayhap at 6:23 PM on June 22, 2009
nthing Ondaatje: Anil's Ghost. posted by furtive at 7:40 PM on June 22, 2009
I enjoyed Reef by Romesh Gunesekera, it is not very long so factor that in... posted by Rumple at 7:49 PM on June 22, 2009
Definitely, definitely Running in the Family. It's one of my most favorite books ever. posted by kitcat at 7:49 PM on June 22, 2009
I just got back from there. =) So hard to leave!
For something a little different, try the Mahavamsa and the Culavamsa, which are mytho-historical accounts of Sri Lanka's ancient past. posted by sid at 2:28 AM on June 23, 2009
Leonard Woolf's The Village in the Jungle is a classic novel set in colonial Ceylon that was first published in 1912. It's rare for its time in that it's told from the point of view of the colonized. (Woolf is perhaps better known for his spouse, Virginia Woolf.) posted by Shoggoth at 6:12 AM on June 23, 2009
Whoops. Make that 1913. posted by Shoggoth at 6:14 AM on June 23, 2009
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posted by meerkatty at 6:05 PM on June 22, 2009 [1 favorite]