A book that gives insight to Punyakante’s writing oeuvre
View(s):Gratiaen Prize winning author Punyakante Wijenaike released her latest book ‘Life a passing dream?’ last year.
The book includes both poems and short stories alongside autobiographic accounts which describe her life and the background in which some of her stories were written.
Written both in first and second person narrative, her short stories could be compared to R.K. Narayan’s ‘Malgudi Tales’ – because both books encapsulate the essence of the societies which they are written about and paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind.
The book is ideal for anyone looking to get an idea of this well known author’s oeuvre as it contains samples of her earliest work right down to her latest short stories.
Additionally, the book also serves as an excellent source of reference for students studying her work. The introduction to the book gives us a better understanding of why the book was written.
States Ms. Wijenaike ‘My own story could be my last story because Osteoporosis hit my body six years ago… the illness diagnosed is continuing to harass me up to date… despite treatment…
Now I am attempting to write a biography of my life as a writer and a person for my end is not far away…’
Poems on life and death as well as a message for her great grandchildren have been included in the book and it could therefore be considered to be more personal than her previous work.
Life a Passing Dream? is published by Godage & Brothers and priced at Rs. 650.