D.C.R.A. Goonetilleke, "Sri Lankan English Literature and the Sri Lankan People 1917-2003" (Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications, 2nd edn. with a new Appendix: ‘Leonard Woolf’s Divided Mind: the case of The Village in the Jungle’, 2007). Pages 318. Hard cover Rs 750. Paperback Rs 590. ISBN 955-8095-90-7 Available online from www.vijithayapa.com Postal address: Vijitha Yapa Publications, Unity Plaza, 2 Galle

Road, Colombo 4. Email: vijiyapa@gmail.com

This series of in-depth studies of varied aspects of Sri Lankan Literature in English results in a richly detailed presentation of the field from its beginnings to the present day. The canvas is crowded with a host of writers whose work reflects the contributory forces, historical and social, which shape their output.

The history of Sri Lankan English Literature is viewed in the context of the history of the Sri Lankan people and such major events as Independence, the social revolution of 1956, the Insurgencies of 1971 and 1988-89, and the ethnic conflict as recorded in the literature are comprehensively examined. Literature is considered here in its widest sense as it appears in newspapers and journals as well as in books. While the central focus is on literature after Independence, the literature from 1917 onwards is analysed to provide a complete understanding of the subject.

Professor Goonetilleke’s inquiry is informative and penetrating. It is meant for general readers who wish to be acquainted with the English literary scene in Sri Lanka as well as those who take a specialized interest in the field. The 2nd edition includes a new appendix on Leonard Woolf’s The Village in the Jungle, Professor Goonetilleke’s latest and original interpretation of the novel which should interest readers/students of both the novel in English and in its Sinhala translation translation, Beddegama, by A.P. Gunaratne.

D.C.R.A Goonetilleke is the internationally recognised authority on Sri Lankan English Literature. He was Foundation Visiting Fellow at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, Henry Charles Chapman Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, and Guest Professor of English at the University of Tubingen, Germany. He was the International Chairperson of the Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies (ACLALS) and Vice-President of the Federation Internationale de Languages et Literature Modernes (FILLM).