What do you think?
Rate this book
Upon a Sleepless Isle
Dense Green forests in Yala, white-sand coasts in Trincomalee, azure waters off the South Coast, Anuradhapura's ancient temples, and cricket. Civil war, political assassinations, internally displaced communities, industrial-scale corruption. All are Sri Lanka. As are smug bureaucrats, nosy neighbours, and stray dogs with serious axes to grind. Through the eyes of Andrew Fidel Fernando, cricket writer par excellence, both a local and a tourist in his home country, Sri Lanka comes alive as he hurtles down hills in Kandy, breathes in the history at the rock fortress of Sigiriya, grapples with the aftermath of war in Jaffna, and has himself evicted from restaurants near Galle. Weaving through all manner of villages, paddy fields, mountains, jungles and marshlands, and pausing for the pests at
grimy guesthouses and the vacationers of luxury hotels, Fernando has the time for every genre of person and wildlife in this chaotic, exquisite, frustrating, bewitching, tumultuous and intoxicating land. Hilariously witty yet wistfully sombre, Upon a Sleepless Isle is the story of a country and a people caught between long historical traditions and global capitalism, resulting in this ingenious paradise.
- GenresNonfictionTravel
244 pages, Hardcover
First published June 27, 2019
23 people are currently reading
464 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
August 22, 2019
Andrew Fidel Fernando’s travelogue on the beautiful country of Sri-Lanka is an honest, brutal, heartwarming and glorious compilation of his journey across the length and breadth of this country and its cities- full of dreams, history, culture and its fair share of problems. Fernando’s precise observation, witty narration and unbiased portrayal of cities, people and government make this a true account of what any country is supposed to be like.
The citizen residing here are from diverse backgrounds and Fernando provides a parallel account of their life and the history they collectively share. Through a creative and engaging narrative, the author meticulously pens down all about they livelihood, day to day interactions, relation with other tribes, religious rituals and every other detail that makes up a community full of life and everyday chaos. We see recurring mention of historical figures who had a significant contribution to Srilanka’s journey to freedom and the subsequent shaping of the community that has now grown to be vibrant, almost peaceful and lively.
While bringing the cities to life, Fernando also gives a vivid account of the wildlife in Srilanka and the simultaneous exploitation of their habitats and their endangerment. Be it their interaction with the other species, or their reproductive cycle, the descriptions read like any other entertaining account of nature, utterly engaging and never dull. Other than that, expect picturesque and luscious beaches, war-torn lands and their stories and industrialization.
As an outsider, this book is everything you need to know about Srilanka. I don’t know where the book stands from a native’s POV, but it made me want to leave the comforts of my home and visit this gorgeous country that has so much to offer. Fernando’s personal experience fuels the story, turning this into a must-read. Go, pick it up because here is a travelogue that is compelling and entertaining, with simultaneously being a brutal reflection of life for the natives.
The citizen residing here are from diverse backgrounds and Fernando provides a parallel account of their life and the history they collectively share. Through a creative and engaging narrative, the author meticulously pens down all about they livelihood, day to day interactions, relation with other tribes, religious rituals and every other detail that makes up a community full of life and everyday chaos. We see recurring mention of historical figures who had a significant contribution to Srilanka’s journey to freedom and the subsequent shaping of the community that has now grown to be vibrant, almost peaceful and lively.
While bringing the cities to life, Fernando also gives a vivid account of the wildlife in Srilanka and the simultaneous exploitation of their habitats and their endangerment. Be it their interaction with the other species, or their reproductive cycle, the descriptions read like any other entertaining account of nature, utterly engaging and never dull. Other than that, expect picturesque and luscious beaches, war-torn lands and their stories and industrialization.
As an outsider, this book is everything you need to know about Srilanka. I don’t know where the book stands from a native’s POV, but it made me want to leave the comforts of my home and visit this gorgeous country that has so much to offer. Fernando’s personal experience fuels the story, turning this into a must-read. Go, pick it up because here is a travelogue that is compelling and entertaining, with simultaneously being a brutal reflection of life for the natives.
July 19, 2019
Through a dozen chapters, covering the author’s journey across the length and breadth of Sri Lanka, country, cities, communities and context are captured with an unerring eye for detail. Foreign readers unfamiliar with the country will no doubt appreciate the artful turn of phrase and skill at prose, both of which, astonishingly, are far better than more seasoned authors I’ve read. But the book is by an observant, sensitive, empathetic, domiciled Sri Lankan, for Sri Lankans. The importance of this cannot be overstated. Avoiding the self-indulgent smugness of Samanth Subramanian’s ‘This Divided Island’, and far more aligned with the empathetic gaze of Rohini Mohan’s ‘The Seasons of Trouble’, Fernando’s prose isn’t about proving authenticity or a parade of revelations otherwise inaccessible or unknown to those from Sri Lanka. ‘Upon a Sleepless Isle’ is as Sri Lankan as arrack and EGB, written from an insider-partial perspective that, when necessary and effortlessly, informs a Tiresian critique of society, politics, culture, community and country.
Familiar to those who read and love Fernando’s cricket commentary, the book offers an entirely original capture of island life through dexterous device. Government departments are “staffed by people who considered arriving at work their primary task for the day”. Maithripala Sirisena “may well be remembered as one of history’s great invertebrates”. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s personal motto is “making Sri Lanka wildly prosperous, one immediate family member at a time”. And if this is good, Fernando’s capture of Sri Lanka’s real wildlife is even better. Never before have the sex lives of Minneriya’s young bull elephants and Mannar’s donkeys been so engagingly and effortlessly entwined into profound insights on loss of habitat, livelihoods, development, communal relations, the human-elephant conflict and ravages of war. Inhabitants of cities – women, children and men drawn from diverse backgrounds – are captured through both contemporary and historical frames, projecting their worldview, location or livelihood through an empathetic gaze supported by significant scholarship. Fernando’s research is meticulous and offers both original and captivating insights for even the seasoned reader of non-fiction on Sri Lanka. From nuanced capture of historical figures like Saradiel and Keppetipola Disawe to individuals encountered on his travels, the author uses – with great skill – stories recounted to him and the surroundings he finds himself in for a night or two to prise open and lay bare Sri Lanka’s multi-layered character. It is here the book is most removed from say a Rough Guide to Sri Lanka, which would rely on tired tropes to satiate the passing tourist’s gaze, instead of Fernando’s studied, nuanced and ultimately, more honest appraisal – warts and all.
‘Upon a Sleepless Isle’ is part travelogue, part ethnographic pastiche and all wit. With unerring accuracy, the book captures a sense of place and space down to taste and smell. The visitor is offered a complex country that doesn’t quite make sense, but works somehow, much to the incredulity of those who inhabit it as well. The Sri Lankan reader is offered fresh insights into a familiar loathing and love of country, which for many of us unceremoniously co-habit in our negotiation of everyday life. Fernando occupies himself with individuals even I would never encounter or choose to stay overnight with (the descriptions of phantasmagoric lodgings and their trappings were primary reason for spills, choking and belly-laughs). And yet, in the capture of post-war realities, religious tensions, deep ethnic binds, feral wildlife, febrile politician, imagined place or geographic space, Fernando never once exoticizes.
There are, however, unpardonable errors. Fernando suggests that any traditional Sinhala wedding features a groom dressed up in Kandyan attire, and a woman decked out in an osari. The violence of this is considerable, for which the author must be held accountable by retraction or correction in the second edition. No one, absolutely no one, save for Kandyans – and even then, not without an abundance of hesitation – dresses up on their wedding day to walk like constipated ducks, bedecked in a costume that is in effect a bejewelled condom guaranteeing the impossibility of any conjugal or even convivial relations between the couple till summarily disposed of. The penultimate chapter features a capture of private school alumnus, in which the author invents a new school – St Thomas’ College. As an old boy of S. Thomas’ College, which if Fernando had had the good fortune to attend, would have learnt how to spell correctly, this error could have been forgiven were it not for the unnecessarily unkind and entirely inaccurate capture that follows. Neither have I ever used the truly awful, classist phrases attributed to alumnus from these two private schools, nor have I once heard those who went to either school use this terrible turn of phrase. A fiercely egalitarian spirit deeply ingrained in the DNA of S. Thomas’ is absent in Fernando’s writing, with even a caricature of school rendered unrecognisable by uncharacteristic imprecision.
Chapter 9, anchored to Killinochchi and Fernando’s travels to Jaffna, was for personal reasons particularly poignant. The author is too young to have travelled to or past the Killinochchi or Elephant Pass that existed during the Ceasefire Agreement, from 2002-2005. The pregnant capture of what it is like today, quite unexpectedly, brought a flow of memories of what the city and region were like nearly two decades ago, when I first travelled there. The author’s grandfather, after watching the 7 pm news during the war, we are told, would with a forlorn look and deep sigh say a variation of “Terrible thing no, this war? Whoever they are fighting for, they are all somebody’s son or daughter, isn’t it? Just imagine. All human lives. Our very own people”. I confess I put the book down as I finished this chapter because it was hard just to keep on reading. But what greater measure of an author’s talent, than to unshackle the darkest memory from deepest recess?
A final word on the full-colour illustrations which capture key moments of Fernando’s travel and travails. For reasons best known to Picador India, the artist’s name isn’t mentioned, which is a travesty. The illustrations, resembling the work of Richard Gabriel from the ’43 Group, are beautiful, complementing Fernando’s sublime writing. One hopes that a revised edition openly recognises the significant talent behind these drawings.
Buy ‘Upon a Sleepless Isle’. Gift it. If after Easter Sunday, utterly banal Lonely Planet writing by foreigners who parachute into country is what we tweet about and share to make ourselves feel and look good, Fernando’s book deserves much more publicity. Between this book’s covers is a compelling capture of Sri Lanka’s irrepressible character and a textured patina of life, love and loss. Here is a text, like a long-term partner who snores, farts unapologetically and picks nose in public, which is embarrassing at times and even insulting at first blush or encounter, but you grow to love truly. Fernando is Sri Lanka’s karuthacolomban of new authors. Anyone who disagrees deserves a fate no less violent than the peacock towards the end of this book. You simply must read it to find out.
###
First published in The Sunday Island, 14 July 2019.
Familiar to those who read and love Fernando’s cricket commentary, the book offers an entirely original capture of island life through dexterous device. Government departments are “staffed by people who considered arriving at work their primary task for the day”. Maithripala Sirisena “may well be remembered as one of history’s great invertebrates”. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s personal motto is “making Sri Lanka wildly prosperous, one immediate family member at a time”. And if this is good, Fernando’s capture of Sri Lanka’s real wildlife is even better. Never before have the sex lives of Minneriya’s young bull elephants and Mannar’s donkeys been so engagingly and effortlessly entwined into profound insights on loss of habitat, livelihoods, development, communal relations, the human-elephant conflict and ravages of war. Inhabitants of cities – women, children and men drawn from diverse backgrounds – are captured through both contemporary and historical frames, projecting their worldview, location or livelihood through an empathetic gaze supported by significant scholarship. Fernando’s research is meticulous and offers both original and captivating insights for even the seasoned reader of non-fiction on Sri Lanka. From nuanced capture of historical figures like Saradiel and Keppetipola Disawe to individuals encountered on his travels, the author uses – with great skill – stories recounted to him and the surroundings he finds himself in for a night or two to prise open and lay bare Sri Lanka’s multi-layered character. It is here the book is most removed from say a Rough Guide to Sri Lanka, which would rely on tired tropes to satiate the passing tourist’s gaze, instead of Fernando’s studied, nuanced and ultimately, more honest appraisal – warts and all.
‘Upon a Sleepless Isle’ is part travelogue, part ethnographic pastiche and all wit. With unerring accuracy, the book captures a sense of place and space down to taste and smell. The visitor is offered a complex country that doesn’t quite make sense, but works somehow, much to the incredulity of those who inhabit it as well. The Sri Lankan reader is offered fresh insights into a familiar loathing and love of country, which for many of us unceremoniously co-habit in our negotiation of everyday life. Fernando occupies himself with individuals even I would never encounter or choose to stay overnight with (the descriptions of phantasmagoric lodgings and their trappings were primary reason for spills, choking and belly-laughs). And yet, in the capture of post-war realities, religious tensions, deep ethnic binds, feral wildlife, febrile politician, imagined place or geographic space, Fernando never once exoticizes.
There are, however, unpardonable errors. Fernando suggests that any traditional Sinhala wedding features a groom dressed up in Kandyan attire, and a woman decked out in an osari. The violence of this is considerable, for which the author must be held accountable by retraction or correction in the second edition. No one, absolutely no one, save for Kandyans – and even then, not without an abundance of hesitation – dresses up on their wedding day to walk like constipated ducks, bedecked in a costume that is in effect a bejewelled condom guaranteeing the impossibility of any conjugal or even convivial relations between the couple till summarily disposed of. The penultimate chapter features a capture of private school alumnus, in which the author invents a new school – St Thomas’ College. As an old boy of S. Thomas’ College, which if Fernando had had the good fortune to attend, would have learnt how to spell correctly, this error could have been forgiven were it not for the unnecessarily unkind and entirely inaccurate capture that follows. Neither have I ever used the truly awful, classist phrases attributed to alumnus from these two private schools, nor have I once heard those who went to either school use this terrible turn of phrase. A fiercely egalitarian spirit deeply ingrained in the DNA of S. Thomas’ is absent in Fernando’s writing, with even a caricature of school rendered unrecognisable by uncharacteristic imprecision.
Chapter 9, anchored to Killinochchi and Fernando’s travels to Jaffna, was for personal reasons particularly poignant. The author is too young to have travelled to or past the Killinochchi or Elephant Pass that existed during the Ceasefire Agreement, from 2002-2005. The pregnant capture of what it is like today, quite unexpectedly, brought a flow of memories of what the city and region were like nearly two decades ago, when I first travelled there. The author’s grandfather, after watching the 7 pm news during the war, we are told, would with a forlorn look and deep sigh say a variation of “Terrible thing no, this war? Whoever they are fighting for, they are all somebody’s son or daughter, isn’t it? Just imagine. All human lives. Our very own people”. I confess I put the book down as I finished this chapter because it was hard just to keep on reading. But what greater measure of an author’s talent, than to unshackle the darkest memory from deepest recess?
A final word on the full-colour illustrations which capture key moments of Fernando’s travel and travails. For reasons best known to Picador India, the artist’s name isn’t mentioned, which is a travesty. The illustrations, resembling the work of Richard Gabriel from the ’43 Group, are beautiful, complementing Fernando’s sublime writing. One hopes that a revised edition openly recognises the significant talent behind these drawings.
Buy ‘Upon a Sleepless Isle’. Gift it. If after Easter Sunday, utterly banal Lonely Planet writing by foreigners who parachute into country is what we tweet about and share to make ourselves feel and look good, Fernando’s book deserves much more publicity. Between this book’s covers is a compelling capture of Sri Lanka’s irrepressible character and a textured patina of life, love and loss. Here is a text, like a long-term partner who snores, farts unapologetically and picks nose in public, which is embarrassing at times and even insulting at first blush or encounter, but you grow to love truly. Fernando is Sri Lanka’s karuthacolomban of new authors. Anyone who disagrees deserves a fate no less violent than the peacock towards the end of this book. You simply must read it to find out.
###
First published in The Sunday Island, 14 July 2019.
August 27, 2024
A sparkling, funny, and enjoyable travelogue, Upon a Sleepless Isle is a lovely, light read. I came to it because I have read Fernando’s cricket writing for a long time now, and knew that this was going to be good. He brings that same depth, flavour, and wit to the book that makes his cricket writing such a joy. He loves Sri Lanka, you can tell, but he also does not ignore its weaknesses, dark undercurrents, and complexities. Since this is not that kind of a book, he does not dwell on them; he kind-of leads you there, shows you what might be there beneath the surface, and moves on, thus giving you enough nuance to go further if you want to.
Fernando is a very good writer. I look forward to more from him, perhaps a cricket book.
Fernando is a very good writer. I look forward to more from him, perhaps a cricket book.
October 18, 2020
Review to come.
June 6, 2022
Here are two timely paragraphs out of ‘Upon a sleepless isle’ by Andrew Fidel Fernando ⬇️ @afidelf_
“Sri Lanka's politics is spectacular fodder, forever enlivened by judicial injunctions, summary firings, trade union turmoil, impromptu travel junkets, roaring nepotism, and institutional drunkenness. Every few months an official is caught entering a public brawl or making a pass at a visiting female dignitary. It is part comedy, part cancer, all embarrassment.”
“In the past decade, former president Mahinda Rajapakse made an art form out of political egotism. Even in non-election years, his face was plastered on most billboards, lamp posts, street signs, public-transport vehicles, tree trunks, abandoned buildings, mounds of dirt, and on posters hanging off strings clenched between the beaks of city crows. Getting lost at night in his home province in the south was a particularly galling experience. Every time you made a turn, your headlights would alarmingly find his brilliant smile and super-villain moustache. Forests of Rajapakse signboards obscured all identifiable landmarks. Sometimes it felt as if you would never find your way out of the dense plumes on his upper lip. Even now, so many months after Rajapakse's presidential ouster, I can more readily bring his visage to mind than the face of my own mother.”
My dear Sri Lankan friends, have I convinced you to read this book yet? 😄
I would like to emphasize the fact that by no means is this book just about politics. But these lines made me laugh out loud.
Reading this book feels like going on an island wide tour. All over my beautiful little Sri Lanka 💚 Small things we people would notice along the way, both beautiful and ugly, this book has it all. A piece of my paradise brought to life by words. A literal island wide tour, just cheaper! 😄🤍
“Sri Lanka's politics is spectacular fodder, forever enlivened by judicial injunctions, summary firings, trade union turmoil, impromptu travel junkets, roaring nepotism, and institutional drunkenness. Every few months an official is caught entering a public brawl or making a pass at a visiting female dignitary. It is part comedy, part cancer, all embarrassment.”
“In the past decade, former president Mahinda Rajapakse made an art form out of political egotism. Even in non-election years, his face was plastered on most billboards, lamp posts, street signs, public-transport vehicles, tree trunks, abandoned buildings, mounds of dirt, and on posters hanging off strings clenched between the beaks of city crows. Getting lost at night in his home province in the south was a particularly galling experience. Every time you made a turn, your headlights would alarmingly find his brilliant smile and super-villain moustache. Forests of Rajapakse signboards obscured all identifiable landmarks. Sometimes it felt as if you would never find your way out of the dense plumes on his upper lip. Even now, so many months after Rajapakse's presidential ouster, I can more readily bring his visage to mind than the face of my own mother.”
My dear Sri Lankan friends, have I convinced you to read this book yet? 😄
I would like to emphasize the fact that by no means is this book just about politics. But these lines made me laugh out loud.
Reading this book feels like going on an island wide tour. All over my beautiful little Sri Lanka 💚 Small things we people would notice along the way, both beautiful and ugly, this book has it all. A piece of my paradise brought to life by words. A literal island wide tour, just cheaper! 😄🤍
August 7, 2019
2.5 stars
The first thing that strikes you when you start reading, is how beautiful the writing is. The words truly paint pictures, and it's a rare joy. That's the only thing that made me plough through the first half of the book. The content was not nuanced at all, and I often wondered if this is a tourism-propaganda piece for the white man from the West. There was an exoticisation of the country sprinkled with the age-old worn nostalgia that immediately put me off.
But, towards the end of the book, Fernando saves it. The writing becomes more nuanced, he tries - and gets quite close to succeeding - to capture the multi-faceted nature of the country and the way its people deal with it. There were a couple of times that I choked up. The ending, that last couple of paragraphs that talk about the people hit home. I finally found a paragraph that puts to words how I feel - pg 242/243.
And that's how what would have gotten 1 star, ended with 2.5. It was a very weak, boring, hackneyed start. But ends with a complexity we all can relate to.
The first thing that strikes you when you start reading, is how beautiful the writing is. The words truly paint pictures, and it's a rare joy. That's the only thing that made me plough through the first half of the book. The content was not nuanced at all, and I often wondered if this is a tourism-propaganda piece for the white man from the West. There was an exoticisation of the country sprinkled with the age-old worn nostalgia that immediately put me off.
But, towards the end of the book, Fernando saves it. The writing becomes more nuanced, he tries - and gets quite close to succeeding - to capture the multi-faceted nature of the country and the way its people deal with it. There were a couple of times that I choked up. The ending, that last couple of paragraphs that talk about the people hit home. I finally found a paragraph that puts to words how I feel - pg 242/243.
And that's how what would have gotten 1 star, ended with 2.5. It was a very weak, boring, hackneyed start. But ends with a complexity we all can relate to.
May 3, 2020
3.5⭐️
Upon a Sleepless Isle by Andrew Fidel Fernando is a mesmerising travelogue of the author’s experience travelling through Sri Lanka and I have to say, I cannot wait to visit there myself after reading the book.
The author has captured the essence of the streets, the people, the wildlife, the culture and little things that make a place someone’s home beautifully.
He reflects back to the people he met on his journey, on a bus or on a trishaw, the unusual conversations he shared with them, the places he saw and stayed at with such a nice eye for detail.
Heartwarming and playfully witty in places, I really enjoyed reading this one.
He doesn’t shy away from penning down the things he doesn’t quite like about the place or certain cultures but you can tell how much the author is in love with the place and that’s why I recommend the book!
Upon a Sleepless Isle by Andrew Fidel Fernando is a mesmerising travelogue of the author’s experience travelling through Sri Lanka and I have to say, I cannot wait to visit there myself after reading the book.
The author has captured the essence of the streets, the people, the wildlife, the culture and little things that make a place someone’s home beautifully.
He reflects back to the people he met on his journey, on a bus or on a trishaw, the unusual conversations he shared with them, the places he saw and stayed at with such a nice eye for detail.
Heartwarming and playfully witty in places, I really enjoyed reading this one.
He doesn’t shy away from penning down the things he doesn’t quite like about the place or certain cultures but you can tell how much the author is in love with the place and that’s why I recommend the book!
Read
September 21, 2019It is a witty, endearing account of a foreign yet familiar Nation (atleast those from subcontinent will find it quite familiar). Like the journey Andrew takes, the book is a lazy vacation where human insights and collective history burst through at times. Pretty good read.
October 28, 2023
Upon a sleepless isle - Travels in Sri Lanka
Andrew Fidel Fernando
Rating 4.25/5
I am very fascinated and equally curious about Sri Lanka ever since I have known Ramayana and Ravana's Lanka. The people, culture, landscape, food, history, myth rather everything just increases my curiosity making me to get more information or read more about Sri Lanka.
And when I got to know about this book with ample discount online, I had no second thoughts buying it and I was equally compelled to read it too (rather quick, only the review comes pretty late).
I have to confess and admit - this happens to be one of the remarkably well written contemporary books which I have read recently. To summarize I find the book as one which is -
Not too abstract nor too descriptive,
Not over informative nor too vague,
Not too critical nor too lenient,
Not too flexible nor too rigid.
It's more like a perfect blend [Choice of beverage or poison being one's own]. Flexible or rigid I said, in terms of categorization of the book - because it covers travel plus lists out issues.
The book is written in a simple way, yet it rings all the bells which the reader dreams of in a travel book. The bells include - places, people, history, socio/economic issues, conflicts, victories, loss etc.!
I enjoyed the travel undertaken by Fernando, he covers lot of ground, rather lot of Sri Lanka and the reader gets familiar with the specialty of each land he covers.
Fernando gets into the essence of every place in terms of its people, history, its contribution towards social and economic outlook. The entire book rather can be visualized as table comprising of list of places as a vertical column and these parameters as header rows.
For ex- Place#1 - people, history, specialty, myth, ethnicity, food and details filled by Fernando at each place.
The civil war and ethnicity related topic is covered and handled with much sensitivity. The criticism/complaints/feedback though being openly vocal are at a very diplomatic level ensuring the reader does not lose focus on the important stuffs (like the travel aspect).
If you wish to travel and across to Sri Lanka sitting on a couch, this is a much recommended book. If you have plans to travel to Sri Lanka - this book adds a great value and is an asset.
I had seen few places mentioned here on a television show on Fox Traveller - My Sri Lanka with Peter Kurvita. But many of them were new to me too and I did enjoy reading about them.
I surely wish to list the places mentioned in the book because I do not want it to vanish from my memory!
Minneriya National Park, Medirigiriya temples, Sigiriya rock fortress, Uttukawanda, Kandy temple of tooth, Nuwan Eliya, Horton National Park, Dambadeniya, Dambulla, Anuradhapura temples, Polonnaruwa, Manar island, Jaffna, Kandarodai, Elephant pass, Kilinochchi, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Arguam Bay, Bondala National Park, Hambantota, Welligama, Galle, Sinharaja National Park!
Cheers,
Andrew Fidel Fernando
Rating 4.25/5
I am very fascinated and equally curious about Sri Lanka ever since I have known Ramayana and Ravana's Lanka. The people, culture, landscape, food, history, myth rather everything just increases my curiosity making me to get more information or read more about Sri Lanka.
And when I got to know about this book with ample discount online, I had no second thoughts buying it and I was equally compelled to read it too (rather quick, only the review comes pretty late).
I have to confess and admit - this happens to be one of the remarkably well written contemporary books which I have read recently. To summarize I find the book as one which is -
Not too abstract nor too descriptive,
Not over informative nor too vague,
Not too critical nor too lenient,
Not too flexible nor too rigid.
It's more like a perfect blend [Choice of beverage or poison being one's own]. Flexible or rigid I said, in terms of categorization of the book - because it covers travel plus lists out issues.
The book is written in a simple way, yet it rings all the bells which the reader dreams of in a travel book. The bells include - places, people, history, socio/economic issues, conflicts, victories, loss etc.!
I enjoyed the travel undertaken by Fernando, he covers lot of ground, rather lot of Sri Lanka and the reader gets familiar with the specialty of each land he covers.
Fernando gets into the essence of every place in terms of its people, history, its contribution towards social and economic outlook. The entire book rather can be visualized as table comprising of list of places as a vertical column and these parameters as header rows.
For ex- Place#1 - people, history, specialty, myth, ethnicity, food and details filled by Fernando at each place.
The civil war and ethnicity related topic is covered and handled with much sensitivity. The criticism/complaints/feedback though being openly vocal are at a very diplomatic level ensuring the reader does not lose focus on the important stuffs (like the travel aspect).
If you wish to travel and across to Sri Lanka sitting on a couch, this is a much recommended book. If you have plans to travel to Sri Lanka - this book adds a great value and is an asset.
I had seen few places mentioned here on a television show on Fox Traveller - My Sri Lanka with Peter Kurvita. But many of them were new to me too and I did enjoy reading about them.
I surely wish to list the places mentioned in the book because I do not want it to vanish from my memory!
Minneriya National Park, Medirigiriya temples, Sigiriya rock fortress, Uttukawanda, Kandy temple of tooth, Nuwan Eliya, Horton National Park, Dambadeniya, Dambulla, Anuradhapura temples, Polonnaruwa, Manar island, Jaffna, Kandarodai, Elephant pass, Kilinochchi, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Arguam Bay, Bondala National Park, Hambantota, Welligama, Galle, Sinharaja National Park!
Cheers,
October 19, 2022
Lovely book. I learnt so much about Sri Lanka, all the juicy little tidbits that only an insider can offer. Andrew has a nice humorous way of writing that tends to keep your nose to the book until you've completed reading. I would absolutely recommend this book.
March 2, 2022
Awesome, so funny!
September 19, 2019
If you're Sri Lankan and a fan of cricket, you've probably already heard of Andrew Fernando through his column. Maybe, after yet another loss, you've turned to his column to make sense of it all, or retweeted it emphatically in celebration.
After the Easter Sunday attacks, Andrew explained how, beset with corruption and infighting as it was, cricket was much more than a game to Sri Lankans. And I found myself, despite not having followed the game for years, staying up to watch the World Cup.
So I was curious when I saw he'd published his first novel. And I wasn't disappointed.
The overwhelming feeling I had while reading Upon A Sleepless Isle was one of familiarity. Andrew captured all the quirks that will be familiar to Sri Lankans, and which alternately inspire affection, deep irritation or nostalgia - from an altercation with your local grama niladhari to the simple pleasure of afternoon cricket and eating too much mango to fending off the neighbourhood gossips, to waiting for a bus back to Colombo in the rain.
We are surrounded by darkness. But we do like to laugh, perhaps because of or in spite of the darkness. Andrew's book made me laugh, and reminded me why, in spite of political instability, corruption, and protracted conflict, I don't want to leave.
For that alone, it's worth a read.
After the Easter Sunday attacks, Andrew explained how, beset with corruption and infighting as it was, cricket was much more than a game to Sri Lankans. And I found myself, despite not having followed the game for years, staying up to watch the World Cup.
So I was curious when I saw he'd published his first novel. And I wasn't disappointed.
The overwhelming feeling I had while reading Upon A Sleepless Isle was one of familiarity. Andrew captured all the quirks that will be familiar to Sri Lankans, and which alternately inspire affection, deep irritation or nostalgia - from an altercation with your local grama niladhari to the simple pleasure of afternoon cricket and eating too much mango to fending off the neighbourhood gossips, to waiting for a bus back to Colombo in the rain.
We are surrounded by darkness. But we do like to laugh, perhaps because of or in spite of the darkness. Andrew's book made me laugh, and reminded me why, in spite of political instability, corruption, and protracted conflict, I don't want to leave.
For that alone, it's worth a read.
August 6, 2019
I loved this book! Full of horrifying and heartwarming stories, I really enjoyed how Sri Lankan history was interwoven seamlessly with the author’s personal travel memoirs. The author was refreshingly and hilariously honest throughout, showing both the negative and positive sides to Sri Lanka in a way that often had me laughing. A beautifully written book, I highly recommend reading it.
May 20, 2020
Honestly, one of the funniest, laugh-out-loud books I've ever read on Sri Lanka. Fidel-Fernando is not without deep knowledge of Sri Lanka's history and culture, and he weaves this knowledge into hilarious, incisive commentary of the places he goes, the people he meets and the things he sees. A great book for both natives and foreigners.
September 5, 2019
A marvelous narrative replete with satire, humor, culture, natural beauty and so many facets of #SriLanka
What a great debut ! Awaiting your next book Andrew Fidel Fernado.
What a great debut ! Awaiting your next book Andrew Fidel Fernado.
July 6, 2023
This book made me believe that travelogues are the best form of literature to learn about a place in its entirety. From the start till the end, the book did not seem to bore me at all, given that it's nonfiction and was very rightly chosen as the winner of the 2019 Gratiaen Prize.
Being a Tamilian, I have learned a lot about Sri Lanka through the Tamil media ever since childhood. But reading and witnessing the account through the lens of a Sri Lankan writer was mesmerising. The author has beautifully given an understanding of the Srilankan culture, religious practices, internal conflicts, landscapes, war memorials, cuisines and much more.
The journalist in the writer shows throughout the book in the way it has been narrated with wit, humour and sarcasm. From politics to cricket to war, the book speaks about everything. Not just that, the author also shares his travel experience and about his fellow travellers, which feels very real. The moment I read about his travel fatigue and how he confessed to having felt tired and irritable about everything towards the end of his travel without boasting only about the best aspects of his journey, I realised how factual this book is.
The writer has written about both the outstanding and underwhelming aspects of his country from a neutral standpoint. I loved how he covered the never-ending conflict between the Tamil and Sinhalese, the LTTE and the Srilankan army, the Muslims and Buddhists, and the North vs the South. I never thought that this tiny little island had so much history hidden under its roots. I loved reading about Jaffna's war monuments, the Meera Juma masjid's brave martyrs, the little England - Nuvara Eliya, and the Buddhist and Hindu monuments.
The portraits in the book were very amusing and nostalgic, giving a feeling of reading our daily newspapers with comic sketches of political and sports affairs. As a whole, if you would love to read about Sri Lankan history, then this is the book you must go to. I am now craving to visit the Meera Juma Masjid and the Jaffna library in a trishaw after feasting on rice and sambal.
July 1, 2023
I came to read Andrew Fidel Fernando's travelogue "Upon a Sleepless Isle: Travels in Sri Lanka by Bus, Cycle and Trishaw" because I have been an avid follower of his writings on cricket for ESPNcricinfo.
This travel narrative has its moments--penetrating insight into people's psyches, beautiful descriptions of the natural landscapes of Sri Lanka, and empathetic depictions of the joys and sorrows of those inhabiting the island nation state. But, it does not quite grip the reader's attention. I found myself thinking about Samanth Subramanian's "This Divided Island" constantly, wondering if Fernando's book will ever be as meaningful and poignant as that work is.
Nonetheless, "Upon a Sleepless Isle" remains a sincere portrait of the decade or so that passed between the end of the Civil War in Sri Lanka and the recent economic and financial crisis that the country continues to grapple with.
This travel narrative has its moments--penetrating insight into people's psyches, beautiful descriptions of the natural landscapes of Sri Lanka, and empathetic depictions of the joys and sorrows of those inhabiting the island nation state. But, it does not quite grip the reader's attention. I found myself thinking about Samanth Subramanian's "This Divided Island" constantly, wondering if Fernando's book will ever be as meaningful and poignant as that work is.
Nonetheless, "Upon a Sleepless Isle" remains a sincere portrait of the decade or so that passed between the end of the Civil War in Sri Lanka and the recent economic and financial crisis that the country continues to grapple with.
January 10, 2021
I'd recommend it for casual travelers, Sri Lankans themselves won't learn all that much. Fidel is funny, and on most pages engaging, anyone who's not familiar with the country will get a good flavour of what the country is about, those with some background, would do better with Razeen Sally's book. I enjoyed the beginning, and the Jaffna chapter. Andrew's exaggerated writing style is endearing at first, and familiar from his columns on cricket, but put me off towards the middle and made me stop reading. I'm glad however I finished. 3.75 Stars.
March 17, 2024
As a Sri Lankan I have to say I absolutely totally enjoyed this book! It was such a great read. I couldn't stop.. finished it withing 24 hours! So much here resonated straight to my heart and the author paints such a beautiful endearing picture of Sri Lanka. The writing was witty, at times hilariously sarcastic often wistful and poignantly endearing and sorrowful. I highly highly recommend this book to my fellow Lankans as well as anyone who would like a real picture of our gorgeous little island, flaws et al! 😎
🌺⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌺⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
April 3, 2022
This book grew on me the same way Sri Lanka has been growing on me since we got here a month ago for work. Makes me long to get out of Colombo. What I appreciate most is his mix of history—in a place with so many levels of history—and what it means to the places he is visiting. The downside for me was I didn’t get enough feel for the places he went, but I look forward to seeing those for myself. And maybe I’ll reread those chapters in each places as well. Can’t wait!
January 9, 2022
I love Andrew Fernando's writing about cricket. He can be very funny, as he is here in places. But this isn't really that sort of book. It's a quite sweet story of a Sri Lankan discovering his own country.. The people and history he meets along the way.
It's all very likable. Though the funny bits are still the best.
It's all very likable. Though the funny bits are still the best.
March 6, 2024
Picked this book up while travelling in Sri Lanka. It was a great decision as the author is really able to accurately depict the scenery, the smells, sounds and feeling of travelling through Sri Lanka. Also provides some
Great insight into the mindset of the people and the rich history of the nation.
Great insight into the mindset of the people and the rich history of the nation.
May 12, 2025
This wasssssss nice. I don’t really ever read nonfiction. At times I struggled to really get into it. I like the way he writes he’s funny and this made me miss Sri Lanka. Also he talked a lot about Sri Lankan history that I didn’t know and I found that very interesting that was probably my favorite thing about this book.
November 15, 2025
i find this to be a book worth owning & reading portions for bringing back smiles at any moment.
Astute observations on people, places aligns so beautifully with our world view that you identify strongly with the book.
Book is hard hitting where it needs to be , calling out ethnicity, religion & politics for their biases.
The read meandered some in the last quarter.
Astute observations on people, places aligns so beautifully with our world view that you identify strongly with the book.
Book is hard hitting where it needs to be , calling out ethnicity, religion & politics for their biases.
The read meandered some in the last quarter.
November 12, 2024
An excellent travelogue that’s brutally funny, insightfully honest, sparks genuine wanderlust, and isn’t written by yet another white man. Highly recommended, irrespective of Sri Lanka’s presence in your travels.
August 24, 2020
Loved this book. A mix of travelogue and history with funny moments.
December 29, 2020
Great travelogue on Sri Lanka written by a Sri Lankan. Andrew Fidel Fernando is fair and funny when writing about his homeland and his people and some passages really do capture some of the magic of this little island.
July 13, 2022
Loved this book! Truly entertaining to read and great writing style!
December 11, 2023
A charming and engrossing cocktail of travel and history. Discover.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews