Honored to Contribute to the Work of Renowned Sri Lankan Novelist Chandrarathna Bandara (Mar 2, 2025)

I am honored to contribute to shaping the content of the latest novel by the esteemed Sri Lankan writer, Chandrarathna Bandara.

Chandrarathna Bandara is a distinguished novelist in Sri Lanka, renowned for his literary contributions. He was awarded the *National Literary Award* in 1991 for his exceptional work. His early writings were deeply rooted in exploring the *social, cultural, and political* dimensions of Sri Lanka. In addition to his literary endeavors, he serves as the editor of the Sri Lankan newspaper Yathra, published in Canada.

In 2022,he won the prestigious Swarnapusthaka Award (Sri Lankan Book Publishers Award) for his novel Premanishansa (ප්‍රේමානිශංස). His novel Meru earned him the National Literary Award at the State Literary Festival in Sri Lanka in 1991.

One of his most widely discussed works, Wanasapumala (Hostage City), was published in 1993.This novel delves into the
complex challenges faced by a politically motivated young man in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province during the 1980s. Bandara’s narrative style is regarded as a revival of the literary techniques introduced in the 1960s by prominent writers such as Gunadasa Amarasekara and Siri Gunasinghe.

Wanasapumala received the D. R. Wijewardena Award for Best Novel in 1993. It has been translated into English (Hostage City) by Vijitha Fernando and into Tamil (Udayagal Pukkal) by S. Sivagurunathan,under the patronage of the Canada-Sri Lanka Education Foundation*.Vijitha Fernando, one of Sri Lanka’s most esteemed translators, was recognized with the Best Translator National Award in 2004 and 2005.

In the late 1990s, a television drama adaptation of his novel Wiman Dorakoda was produced and aired on Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.Besides being a novelist, Bandara is also an acclaimed short story writer and poet, known for his unconventional literary style.

His fifth novel, Walakulu Bamma (Wall of Clouds), was published by Sarasavi Publishers – Sri Lanka and was launched in Toronto on April 3, 2016.The keynote address at the event was delivered by Dr. Jayalath Manorathne.