A compelling story about a man's journey to self-discovery set in the preternatural landscape of Sri Lanka. To marry Threesa, the woman he loves, Anthony must first find his father, and learn about his origins. He embarks on an arduous journey in search of answers to his elusive past, and finds himself on the island of Baththalangunduwa. Antony meets Addin, his aloof father, a prominent figure on the island, and encounters Sinbad, a highly intuitive and outspoken fisherman who works on Addin's boat. Together with his friend Christo, Sinbad assists Antony in becoming a local hero. With all his experiences in tow, Anthony is faced with an important will he renounce his life in the city for the life of a simple fisherman? A touching philosophical work about family, love and humanity, A Dot You Are , compels readers to question their own place in the world.
Manjula Wediwardena is a Sri Lankan creative writer (novelist, poet), and a journalist who wrote against the inhuman suppression and violation of human rights of the Tamils and Tamil journalists during the ethnic war in Sri Lanka. As a result, he was forced to flee from Sri Lanka and has lived as a political refugee in France since 2009.
In 1997, Manjula published his first poetry book, Niruththara Samadiya (Clueless Heart), with Shane Mackelvie and started his journey as a creative writer. While being an exile, he has published ten poetry collections, four novels and three collections of short stories. Apart from the publications, Manjula has contributed to Sri Lankan literature by writing numerous television serials, film and theatre scripts. Many of those have either won or been nominated for prestigious literary awards and prizes in Sri Lanka. Being one of the pioneers of a major overseas pressure group called Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS), Manjula works as an active journalist while continuing his amazing literary journey.
Manjula Wediwardhana really knows how to play with words — he’s a magician when it comes to writing. With all the great feedback this book has received since its release, I can confidently say it’s an amazing debut novel. I have a feeling he’s an even better poet than a novelist!
I often found myself pausing to read certain lines or poems again, just to feel their beauty one more time. There were so many powerful quotes that I wanted to write them all down!
Simply put, බත්තලංගුණ්ඩුව is a magical book, that doesn't necessarily have any (actual?) magic in it. It is a deep dive into a Sri Lankan subculture that is not yet fully discovered by the rest of the island, and a poetic journey through complicated human emotions, practices that may be deemed uncivilized by the self-proclaimed "civilized" society. The author's imagination and the narration throughout are rich in detail, very cinematic, and even the simplest of descriptions have so much more depth in them to be discovered every time you re-read them. One of those stories that make you wish you could read over and over again, for the first time.
The storyline of the book is amazing reaching the beauties of the coastal areas of Sri Lanka. The life of the fishermen, their culture, their boundaries, and the journey of a man who is a citizen but now a stranger to his village. The story of a conflicting man whos trying to find his way with his father and himself. Highly recommended.
The narrative style was unique,poetic and there were many instances where I had to stop reading, and re read a certain sentence ,a paragraph or a poem, just to re-live the feeling . It was an immense inner struggle not to write down every single quotable quote. Manjula Wediwardhana is a magician with words. Considering the rave reviews since the First copy hit book store shelves, it is not an exaggeration to say that this is a Brilliant Debut Novel. I'm sure he must be a better Poet than a novelist. I may not agree with some of his biased remarks (eg - Comparing a certain Terror outfit as Environmental Lovers). But all in all , his Supremacy as a Word Illusionist wipes away any consternation felt at such moments.