SKU LS612110OU Category Fictions and Novels Language Sinhala ISBN Number 9552023785 Publisher Godage International Publishers Author Name Mahagama Sekara Published Mahagamasekara Weight 160g Pages 112 Description Thunmanhandiya by Mahagama Sekara
Mahagama Sekera was one of the most versatile of artists this country has produced and one of the leading catalysts in the Sri Lankan artistic renaissance which started in the late 1950s. Often regarded as the nation’s finest poet of the 20th century, Sekera inspired several generations of writers even after his time.
Sekara was often being imitated but never duplicated. As a poet and a lyricist he developed the prevailing tradition and drew upon the language of the folk to up shape a modern lyrical and poetic diction. He was a poet, lyricist, painter, broadcaster, playwright, novelist, short story writer and also became a reputed moviemaker after directing his semi-autobiographical novel Thun Man Handiya as a motion picture.
Mahagama Sekera embraced a vast territory of concerns in his creative process with a sensitivity that recognized humanity and life. Having rendered a great service to the nation through his multifaceted contributions which reflect an ever-continuing significance, he still holds and is very much a part of the contemporary consciousness.
Mahagama Sekara and his work is unparalleled in Sri Lanka; ranging from art, poetry, long and short works of prose and etc, he was the culmination of all things artistic, and I do not think there has been anyone after him to even come close in capacity.
I can say with great confidence that "තුංමංහංදිය" is my absolutely favorite Sinhala novel.
I was introduced to Sekara through his work "ප්රබුද්ධ" back at school, which had a lasting impact on me. "තුංමංහංදිය" is special in a different way, in that the film based on it was directed by Sekara himself, and I saw the film long before I read the book. Reading though the book, the scenes from the film are conjured with ease, witnessing the capacity of Sekara to capture the essence of his literary work and present it visually. It would have been interesting to see other films by Sekara, had he directed any other than "තුංමංහංදිය".
For me, "තුංමංහංදිය" is not about Sirisena, but is about Abilin. The complexity of Abilin's character as well as the development of the narrative towards his ultimate fate is deeply moving, demonstrating Sekara's deep knowledge about the complexities of human life. The last three paragraphs moved me to tears, and is one of the best endings in literature that I've read.
Many of the so-called great works in Sinhala typically extend beyond 200 pages; but in this short book of 112 pages, Sekara has managed to capture the essence and culture of a typical village, the complexity of human character, and the tragedy of the artist, among other things, which itself proves Sekara's capability as an artist.
Kumara Thirimadura, talking about Sekara in his book මගේ ජිවිතේ, says "...එතැනදී මම ආත්මාර්ථකාමීයෙකු වී ඔබට නිවන් සුව නොපතමි. ඔබ කවදා හෝ නැවත මේ පොළොව මත ඉපදිය යුතුය....එබැවින් මා ඔබට ආයාචනා කරනවා, ආමන්ත්රණය කරනවා, එන්න. ඇවිත් යන්න එන්න!". I agree with Kumara wholeheartedly.
It’s one of the most beautifully written Sinhala books. The language is very natural and very easy to read. The story is flawless from the beginning to the end. It describes the serenity, by taking the reader to the village. Reading this book is like looking at a painting made me curious and wanting to look at it for hours.
This is a wonderful book that is written by one of the best ever poet, song writer and a painter ever born in Sri Lanka . This is the only novel written by this wonderful person. Most things about Siripala is of his including date of birth, school and characters their. Very touching book about a village boy.