One of the many great things about reading is the ability of a book to seemingly transport you to another place geographically. Fans of armchair travel revel in this aspect of leisure reading.
To help satisfy our readers' urge to explore the world via reading, Halifax Public Libraries has been creating a series of reading suggestions lists called Read Your Way Around the World.
Each country list highlights a few titles, usually combining both fiction and non-fiction, about the country and/or written by native authors. By no means exhaustive or definitive, these lists will hopefully give readers an enjoyable way to start a reading journey around the literary globe.
Bon Voyage -- All Aboard for Sri Lanka!
Sri Lanka has got to be one of the most intriguing places on earth. Combining natural beauty, bountiful harvests and an amazing diversity in people and culture. Begin to discover Sri Lanka between the covers of these titles:
by Yasmine Gooneratne
A beautifully written family drama set in the times of transition from Ceylon to Sri Lanka. Deftly explores the human side to political, social and family upheaval.A very promising new writer.
by Shyam Selvadurai.
A novel for older teens and adults. A modern coming of age narrative, set against the beautiful backdrop of Sri Lanka, that also explores the cross pollination of modern cultures. Winner of a 2006 Lambda Literary Award.
by Michael Ondaatje.
A remarkably well written novel by one of Canada’s pre-eminent authors. A returning Sri Lankan forensics anthropologist must deal with the strife of civil war while struggling to make sense of a mysterious skeleton. Winner of the 2000 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
by Edie Meidav.
An intriguing exploration of Sri Lankan culture, as told through the eyes of an well meaning, yet naive American. Set in the 1930s, Henry’s plans to improve the lives of Sri Lankans is turned completely upside down.
Non-fiction:
Woolf in Ceylon : an imperial journey in the shadow of Leonard Woolf, 1904-1911, by Christopher Ondaatje. 2005 A fascinating account of Woolf’s time in Ceylon.
by Patrick Peebles. 2006
Peebles presents the history of Sri Lanka in this volume that is part of a series aimed at students and general readers.
An Historical Relation of Ceylon: by Robert Knox - [1681] 1911
Originally published in 1681!
An English sea captain’s account of captivity in Ceylon.
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