The First Banned Book in Sri Lanka
First published in the Exchanges: Journal of Literary Translation blog
Titled දැති රෝදෙන් උපන් බුදුන් (Cogwheel Buddha), the controversial publication first came out in 1967, later becoming the first banned book in Sri Lanka. It was written by Tennyson Perera, who was 27 years old at the time.
The stories in the collection audaciously unravel the misconduct of a range of institutions at the time. Most prominently, they take a peek at the religious, cultural, and legal institutions, and their treatment toward the poverty-stricken working class. While highlighting the abuse of power, Perera also talks about the fate of the defenseless masses and the failures of the so-called “utilitarian” concept of the state from multiple viewpoints.
Cogwheel Buddha is currently being translated into English, and will soon enter the canon of World Literature, opening up to the world an underrepresented work from a minority literature like the Sri Lankan Sinhalese literature. The text is expected to subvert the stereotypical conception that Sri Lankan/South-Asian literary works are largely woven around the marvels of their history, culture, and religious values.
Read the full article on Exchanges
