City returns with new-look South Asian fiction, prose and poetry
When “City” was launched back in 2002, its co-editors Sophia Naz and Ajmal Kamal intended it to be “a platform for people to share how South Asia looks at itself and the world through the eyes of its creative writers”. A quarterly journal covering genres of poetry and fiction inspired by the contemporary subjects of the “City”, it was re-launched on July 11 at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies.
Speaking at the launch, publisher and writer Ameena Hussein took the audience back to her introduction to Sri Lankan English literature. Limited to the 35 page A/L syllabus, the few poets she encountered as a teenager brought Ameena to the sad realization that growing up in the 70s “I was ignorant”. It was only while completing her tertiary education that Ameena’s perspective was widened, finding familiar ground in her discovery of what was then known as ‘world literature’.
The latest edition of CITY, is a culmination of ‘new’ South Asian fiction, prose and poetry with a special section on contemporary Sri Lankan writing in Sinhala, English and Tamil.
Ameena Hussein speaking at the launch. Pix by Sameera Weerasekera
For Dr. Harshana Rambukwella, Director, Postgraduate Institute of English at the Open University of Sri Lanka and Trustee of the Gratiaen Trust, ‘CITY’ offers writers and readers an opportunity to discover their contemporary artistic identity. “It moves away from cross country influence,” he explains, the traditional view that only village life is symbolically nationalistic now challenged by urban city dwellers who also have their own stories to tell, offering a “refreshing cultural discourse”.
Inviting readers to look at urban South Asia, the journal seems to be a step towards re awakening cultural imagination and offering a network , which in contrast to bodies such as SAARC, Dr. Rambukwella describes is one that will grow more organically from within the region.
The collection includes new and familiar names to the literary scene. Contributions from well known writers such as Lal Medawattegedara, Liyanage Amarakeerti and Parakrama Kodituwakku are aligned together with other figures in the academic field along with younger writers and spoken word poets.
For Ameena, whose profession as a publisher finds her encountering writers with the continuous desire to be published internationally, the real challenge is to create work that like one of her favourite reads- Carl Muller’s “The Jam Fruit Tree” is unashamedly Sri Lankan.
Together with works from around South Asia, Ajmal Khan hopes CITY will create a much needed awareness “of our neighbours” he smiles, allowing readers to trace the trajectory of the literature of the region. Ameena sums up the refreshingly current collection- “Here I come world, you better be ready”.
‘CITY’ a quarterly journal of South Asian literature is available at Ahasa Mediaworks Pvt Ltd, 188/8A High Level Rd, Maharagama, Tel-0772652550 or email them at info@ahasamediaworkds.com .
For more information visit CITY on their facebook pageCITY: A Journal of South Asian Literature or their website http://www.citypress.pub/.