Tristan’s Conquest – The Knights : An epic Sri Lankan fantasy
Most people shake off a bad dream and go back to sleep but Ashan Jayatilaka knows “that’s a waste of ideas.” Reflecting on a ‘loosely connected series of nightmares’ as he terms them is what inspired his first book- the first contemporary fantasy fiction novel in the country. “I have no idea where they came from,” he says and has spent many nights since the original set of nightmares in 2009 fumbling in the dark for his phone to record the dreams.
Connecting the dots and being lucky enough to recall some parts of his vivid nightmares Ashan’s story is about an unlikely protagonist, with Sri Lankan roots. “I never wanted Tristan to be from anywhere else.” Keeping things on a relatable level, he tells us, it wouldn’t have been an honest effort if he didn’t. While the norm of Epic fantasy has never before included heroes that whiz around in a tuk-tuk or descriptions of children in Bata-slippers, Ashan’s honest depiction of life in Sri Lanka is a first in this context. Being Sri Lankan he says is being hopeful and strong through the worst circumstances, which makes Tristen a worthy protagonist to contend even the dreaded Appollyon according to Ashan.
A child who loved to read he says enjoyable hours of his childhood were spent among the standard Enid Blytons and even books he found in his father’s collection. Among the rare few who eagerly awaited a chance to write essays as a student at the Colombo International School until 2003, he recalls being excited that “we get a chance to put an idea down on paper.” The actual task of writing has long been an enjoyable one for the author who even during his A-Levels wrote to relieve stress.
“You might already have guessed,” he smiles, “I’m very stingy with ideas.” Managing a job in the corporate sector, and making time for family what worked for him is always being able to record ideas. Trapping fleeting thoughts, dreams and even something or someone inspiring on a bus has been the real task in mapping out Tristan’s path for Ashan. A graduate of the Australian College of Business and Technology in Sri Lanka and an Associate Member of the Charted Institute of Marketing, his work leaves little time for anything else. But working on the book he says has been both a relaxing and engaging release.
Ashan
To help tell Tristan’s tale Ashan has invoked all the powers of the Greek pantheon- a subject that has once again interested him since boyhood. Set in the age-old backdrop of Olympus he says “it’s more of a re-imagining of the traditional mount Olympus.” In Ashan’s version, Olympus is a collection of four mythical islands that neverthe less keep to the theme of the well known myths in the same setting.
Having written-out the first part of Tristan’s Conquest- The Knights of Olympus in just a year, the hardest part for Ashan was letting go. It isn’t surprising that research he says was interesting as the writing itself, but the much needed fine tuning happened during the difficult three years of editing that followed. You need a solid, airtight concept he tell us which is why working with a publisher and editors is important. Speaking at the launch of Tristan’s Conquest- Knights of Olympus, Ameena Hussein of Perera-Hussein Publishers admitted “it was his style of writing and the genre of the book,” that ignited her interest in Ashan’s work.
The final published copy is the sixth edition of his original manuscript which when read at the launch left him with a smile because “that’s probably how readers will be phrasing it.” Enjoying his meet and greet with his audience he feels lucky that people are open to the genre of epic fantasy even if the older readership is at first a little apprehensive.
Readings from Tristan’s Conquest- Knights of Olympus and the introduction to the book marked the launch of Ashan Jayatilaka’s debut as an author last week. The first of three books, The Knights of Olympus is published by PH publishers under the Baby Owl label and is
available at leading book shops.