ප්රබුද්ධ (pronounced 'Prabuddha') is a collection of Sinhala poetry written by Mahagama Sekara, who was an iconic figure and a great poet of the 20th century Sri Lanka. It is considered to be his last book, first published in 1977 after his death.
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.
This book is the last collection of poetry by Mahagamasekara published in 1977.
In a period where capitalism and socialism were at their peak in the world and Sri Lanka itself, the contents of the book reflect a more revolutionary theme to the readers.
And also by quoting many religious texts throughout the book, the writer has attempted to give a philosophical setting to the readers.
This book can be considered as a milestone in creative poetry created in the year 1977.
Day-to-day struggles of the ordinary people are polished and crafted into magnificent poetic thoughts and through this, it awakens the Sinhalese poetry readers mind to achieve an unexpected beauty.
One of the key weaknesses of this poetry book is that it's not structured with the rhythm of language or rhyming words. But the large collection of information and its collective message gives a new perspective to the readers.
As a reader of "Deti Roden upan budun" / "දැති රෝදෙන් උපන් බුදුන්" / "Cogwheel Buddha" by Tennyson Perera published in 1967 this collection of poetry can be considered as an extension of the same themes but this book has deviated from the harsh perspectives, Tennyson Perera had on Sinhala culture and Buddhism.