Asymptote: Weekly Updates from the Front Lines of World Literature (February 2021)

Since the pandemic started, the cultural life of Sri Lanka has become one of the hardest-hit areas on the island. The Sri Lankan theatre was perhaps the most affected industry, since the very nature of this practice relies on in-person presence of actors and an audience. However, the award-winning Sri Lankan filmmaker and dramatist Asoka Handagama has taken the bold step of safely reviving the Sri Lankan theatre industry, complying with COVID-19 safety and hygiene measures, with his latest play Antique කඩයක මරණයක් (A Death at an Antique Shop), which is scheduled to be premiered on March 19 at Lionel Wendt theatre in Colombo. Following the premier, there will be two more shows on March 20 and 21. The show features some of the most distinguished actors in Sri Lanka, including the award-winning actor and professor of Visual and Performing Arts Saumya Liyanage, as well as the multi-talented Sri Lankan actress and lecturer of Visual and Performing Arts Nipuni Sharada. They will be joined by Krishantha Jayabhahu, Stephan Thirimanne, and Pasan Ranaweera, while Chinthaka Jayakodi will be directing the music.
Read the full update on Asymptote

Why Sri Lankan Literature Matters?

“Even within South Asia, Sri Lanka occupies a minority state in terms of both its geography and population. From a translator’s perspective, I couldn’t help but notice that the rate of Sri Lankan contemporary literature that is being circulated (in translation or in the original language/s) and read around the world is comparably lower than the national literatures of many other countries. It is also studied and anthologized much less often than other national literatures of the world. We talk about the infamous “3% factor” of annual literary translation publications in the US, but we’ve hardly ever seen or heard about a translation from the Sinhalese making it to the languages that contribute to that percentage, right”

-Interview with Project Plume