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walauwe murder in colonial Ceylon De Kretser not only becomes the first Sri Lankan expatriate to win this prize - A. Sivanandan won the Best First Book Award for When Memory Dies in 1999 - but has the distinction of overcoming formidable competitors, like Peter Carey. Although Manicka's novel is initially situated in Sri Lanka, much of the action takes place in Malaysia. Except for a few scenes in England, The Hamilton Case is located in the island and focuses on the Sri Lankan upper class milieu from 1930-1971. O.L. de Kretser, the author's father, and a well- known judge in his time, had written The Pope Murder Case on the slaying of a British planter in colonial Ceylon. Michelle's novel is to some extent based on this book. In it, suspicion falls on an estate labourer but Stanley Alban Marriot Obeysekere, a lawyer, and the chief character in the novel, tries to establish that the killer was really Hamilton's guest Mr. Taylor who had suspected Hamilton of having a relationship with his wife Yvette, or of trying to molest her. What is ironic is that Obeysekere, a self-proclaimed Anglophile, is passed over for promotion at the Bar for daring to suggest that an Englishman was guilty of such a crime. Unlike in most novels that belong to the genre, however, the Hamilton Case is not solved at the end. The reader is left with unanswered questions and several versions of the ‘truth’. Stan's version is eventually problematized when compared and contrasted with those of Shivananthan, the lawyer and former schoolmate through whom Stan learns about the murder, and Jaya, Stan's brother-in-law turned politician. This novel has affinities with Gothic romance. The corridors of the ancient walauwes echo with ghosts and other ‘presences’. The many suicides, infanticides, and premature deaths contribute to the eerie atmosphere that devastates the lives of the Obeysekeres. The book has much more to offer than ‘thriller’ value. It is an engrossing and at times corrosive critique of the lives and times of the Sri Lankan elite during the death throes of the Empire; furthermore, like Michael Ondaatje's Running in the Family, this novel demonstrates that their lives, though grievously flawed, were nevertheless colourful and entertaining. What is especially engaging is the author's wry sense of humour that provides some relief to readers who are privy to the many horrific events that take place within the confines of this book. Stanley, whose grandfather was a mudaliyar, grows up in a household which boasts of the kind of inherited wealth that enabled his parents to live like prodigals. Whenever his mother Maud quarrelled with his father, she would throw objects like "first editions of Tennyson, eighteenth-century candlesticks, a set of silver figurines, a silver salver..." at him. Their world was a whirl of champagne parties, balls, and long holidays in the South or Nuwara Eliya. To this add hunting big game in jungles, visits to flower-shows and illicit, stimulating, love affairs. Such profligacy has its inevitable consequences. Stanley's father dies leaving huge debts that his son can only repay by selling their ancestral property and family heirlooms. Then again, Stanley gets even with his mother for having an affair with her son-in-law Jaya by practically incarcerating Maud in her ancient, termite infested "mul gedera” in Lokugama, an exercise which drives the once proud socialite insane. Stanley tries to regain, or "purchase", the glamour that he considers his birthright by marrying into a wealthy family that his ancestors would have despised. All the antiques and land he acquires do not compensate for the loss of the original estates and possessions, however. The various obsessions that consume him after his sister's death affect his relations with others so much so that his son Harry whose affection he craves prefers his "unsophisticated" mother to Stan and ultimately abandons him. The thrust of the novel suggests that many "aristocratic" Sri Lankan families were fated to pay for their excesses in such ways. One of Michelle de Kretser's greatest strengths as a novelist is her ability to deal with the politics of the time in a manner that is not intrusive. This novel covers the 1950's, when S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike's socialist government swept into power, established Sinhala as the official language, and adopted several measures which eventually resulted in the westernised elite losing its privileged position in society. Indeed, this was the climate which induced Burghers to emigrate. Anyone who has read R. K. Narayan's Waiting for the Mahatma will realize that even the greatest novelists face difficulties when they introduced recent, historical figures into their work. De Kretser avoids this trap with some aplomb. It is commonplace for many of those who left the country at that time to attribute its ills to the political agenda of the 1956 government. De Kretser eschews such a facile option for a more complex exploration of the issues. To Stanley, Jaya epitomes those who "let the side down" by shelving their aristocratic ancestry and manners for populist measures and demagoguery. He is the ultimate bounder, the "past master of the conceptual sleight of hand". To Shivananthan, Jaya's former political ally, "Jaya lived to see his theorems of national pride codified into a geometry of racial hatred". The discerning reader soon learns that both Stanley and Shivananthan are unreliable narrators whose assessments are erratic at best. Stanley for one is obviously envious of Jaya's ability to charm people, especially his sister Claudia whom he "loses" to Jaya. He also smarts at Jaya's constant jibe that Stanley Obeysekere stands for "Obey by name, Obey by nature"; in other words, Stan is described as one who is ever willing to fulfil the needs of Empire and the institutions that represent it. Jaya, on the contrary, makes use of his knowledge of these institutions to challenge their principles and change the status quo although these revolutionary transformations are accompanied by racist policies that in turn create discord of another kind. The Sri Lankan expatriate novel has been beneficial on the whole because it has provided readers overseas access to the country via literature. Unfortunately, some of these novels tend to exoticise the island which no doubt pleases publishers and boosts sales but produces an enervating, orientalist effect. What is refreshing in The Hamilton Case is that descriptions of the ocean, wildlife, scenery, and local customs are usually functional. When Stanley speaks pompously about the skills involved in shooting an elephant and sets off on a hunt, one expects the kind of account that is commonplace in Colonialist writing. But the entire sequence is rendered farcical when Jaya who is not privy to any of these theories shoots the elephant (with “beginner’s luck” according to Stan) and afterwards adopts “...an ironic pose (while waiting to have his picture taken). The faint but perceptible exaggeration of the stance parodies all those photographs of self-satisfied Englishmen lording it over the corpses of their Empire's fauna." The word parodies is especially important here because the novel at times mocks the style adopted by others who have written on Sri Lanka, including expatriate writers. When Maud who has engaged with royalty and socialites from various countries up to her middle years is forced to live in appalling circumstances later on, she exoticises her immediate environment in writing to her former associates thus: "I wish you could see this marvellous old place", she says in one letter, "I have been gorging myself on rambutans. Such fruit! Spiked scarlet globes the size of a hen's egg, split open with a thumbnail to yield segments of delectable white flesh". Then again, as Shivananthan who has emigrated to Canada and taken to writing fiction on Sri Lanka acknowledges, "The coloniser returns as a tourist, you see. And he is mad for difference. That is the luxury commodity we now supply, as we once kept him in cinnamon and sapphire. The prose may be as insipid as rice cooked without salt. No matter: call up a monsoon or the rustle of a sari and watch him salivate." The Hamilton Case is elegantly written in flexible language that captures the cadences of the various voices found therein, and its narrative technique capable of rendering the story from multifarious perspectives. In its attitude to colonialism and the "white washed" local elite, as Jean-Paul Sartre would have described them, the novel is variously satirical, irreverent, subversive, and occasionally nostalgic. But there is a word not used so far in this review that must be employed to make it complete - compassion. De Kretser is obviously cognisant of the fact that the evil traits that some people possess are not always of their own making. While she is caustic in her treatment of characters, she is scrupulous in showing that they are what they are because of a colonial "disease" that in some cases is incurable, or of accidents in the past which have substantially altered their personalities. As Shivananthan says of Stan, "I think he glimpsed, obscurely, that we were being written by the grand narratives of our age". Condemnation, therefore, is invariably tempered by compassion. During my stint as a judge of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 1999 and its Eurasia Chairperson in 2002 and 2003, I was privileged to assess novels by the likes of Austin Clark, Richard Flannagan, Michael Fraynn, Nadine Gordimer, Doris Lessing, Ian McEwan, Caryl Philips, and Arundathie Roy to name just a few. De Kretser’s novel is of the highest class on par with the best of those that I have read over the years. The Hamilton Case will surely become essential reading for the general reader, students of Sri Lankan Literature in English and specialists in post colonial literature whatever the outcome of this year's competition. All
about student visas Getting a student visa is a major hurdle that all potential applicants have to face. Many find it hard to obtain this important document, as the procedure is complicated. 'How to Obtain Your Student Visa' by Preethiraj Weeraratne is the first educational consultancy book for students wishing to study overseas. Through different case studies, the book explains important factors to consider when selecting a country, a study course and an institution. According to the book, the most recommended countries for Sri Lankan students are UK, USA and Australia. The writer feels that the UK is the best country for Sri Lankan students, considering entry requirements, tuition fees, living expenses per annum, quality of education and job prospects. In 1998, Weeraratne started 'Education Overseas', the only educational newsletter on overseas education in Sri Lanka. Presently it has an estimated readership of over one million. Weeraratne says that Sri Lanka is a haven for 'bogus' colleges to advertise in. He has provided information on how to contact reputable organizations to verify the status of the institution or university. The book provides guidelines on how to obtain application forms and how to present yourself at a visa interview. On a practical note, he advises getting someone apart from the applicant to stay in the queue at the embassy (which starts forming in front of the gates at 4 a.m.), so that the candidate would not look tired by the time of the interview. Samples of visa application forms, drafts of letters and financial statements would be extremely helpful for anyone hoping to obtain a student visa. 'How to Obtain Your Visa' is now available at Vijitha Yapa Bookshop and other leading bookshops. Poems
on the Conch train and hurricanes The first poem Take my hand speaks of his vulnerability in a new country, feelings common to all strangers in foreign lands. He borrows from William Blake's Tyger, tyger, burning bright in New York, New York Burning Bright that reflects his awe of the giant metropolis. Even as he takes pride in his country of origin, his distress over the ethnic conflict is evident. A verse has also been written depicting his amazement of the ignorance of some westerners who had not heard of Sri Lanka. Through his poems Ian introduces the town of Key West, a place that was a longtime haunt of writer Ernest Hemmingway and describes with humour its favourite spots such as the Grotto at St. Mary's, bookshops, churches and the stock island where the poor lived. The book also serves as a personal account of his life at Key West recording the people he met and the places he visited. There are vivid descriptions with a few personal anecdotes thrown in of the howling hurricanes, October festivals, the Conch Train and places to eat and shop. He gives colourful descriptions of food such as the popular seafood salads, Key lime pie, considered the best of the desserts in town and the famous Egg Nog, a Keywester's delight detailing their novel aspects with humour and rhyme. Writing in the foreword to the book, former American ambassador James W. Spain says, “Brief as it is, this volume is an important link in the chain of mutual understanding between Sri Lankans and Americans.” Educated at S. Thomas' College, Mt. Lavinia, Ian worked as a journalist at Lake House for 25 years. A staffer at Trinity College Kandy, books published by him include Vignettes of a Sri Lankan Outsider, The Satin Doll and Poems in American Anthologies. While residing in the US he appeared on TV a few times to read poems written by Dylan Thomas and some of his own. He won the Golden Poetry Award, had in a minor role in Criss-Cross with Goldie Hawn and was conferred a PhD in Journalism by Medicina Alternativa. He was also the runner-up at an international short story competition. Theories
on forest farms and other gardens While it is too late for the forest garden to solve the world's environmental problems or become a practical substitute for modern farming, it offers a wealth of knowledge and is perfect for rehabilitating the degraded lands of the tropics. Probably the first national attempt at using forest gardens in a rehabilitation role was on eroded tea estates in Sri Lanka during the 1970s. The problem, as D. J. McConnell is quick to point out in The Forest Farms of Kandy and Other Gardens of Complete Design, is that traditional agro-ecosystems are not favoured by governments or development agencies. The forest garden in particular is considered confusing. This book seeks to enlighten policymakers and those working in agro-development circles. Initial chapters provide an ecological and economic description of the types of forest garden found throughout the tropics, such as the huertos familiares, the ‘family orchards’ of Mexico, and the pekarangan, the gardens of ‘complete design’ of Java. In-depth analysis is reserved for the forest or rather home garden of the Kandyan highlands of Sri Lanka, where McConnell has carried out research spanning several decades. The core chapter ‘Kandy,’ written together with three Sri Lankan researchers, K. A. E. Dharmapala, G. K. Upawansa and S. R. Attanayake, presents an impressive array of statistics to demonstrate the wide-ranging benefits of the home garden. The authors conclude that the Kandyan gardens show such completeness of design that the home gardener has only agro-developers to fear. "Are they much happier than other folks?" the authors write of Kandyan home gardeners. "Not really. They're remembered for great kindness and civility. Others, too critical, find them inclined to litigation - perhaps too ready to draw law, or blood, over the leaning of a coconut palm across a fence or the wanderings of a village rooster. Still, the conditions for paradise are there. If they want to screw it up that's their affair." Acknowledgement is made on the very first page of the book of the pioneering work of Ranil Senanayake in Sri Lanka, who coined the term "analogue rain forest" in connection with the creation of home gardens as part of rehabilitation ecology. The analogue rain forest recreates an entire ecosystem, with the plants selected so they provide a micro-habitat for animals, birds and insects. While such models have great relevance in the tropics, McConnell comments that "They're also a warning of the time and effort required to recreate a forest ecosystem once it's been destroyed." The chapter ‘Diversity’ details the importance of the forest farm in the in situ conservation of biodiversity and as possibly a final species reservoir. Inventories reveal not only economic plants, but those from the household pharmacopoeia and some kept for no apparent reason, which together provide a significant habitat for micro-fauna. McConnell writes of agro-foresters: "their social role as conservator, rough and incidental, is far more valuable globally than is their local economic role as farmer." The concluding chapters are devoted to establishing the authenticity of traditional agro-ecosystems. ‘Shifters’ examines the surprisingly old swidden system (chena cultivation) and proposes that those involved in the practice should be encouraged to switch to forest gardening. ‘Origins’ sifts through and discards biblical-influenced notions that agriculture of the wheat-sheep-cows variety began in the Near East. The final chapter, ‘Genesis,’ presents a bold theory that the first agriculture was the forest garden variety as practised by the Aborigines, thus challenging the assumption that they have always been foragers. McConnell has an engaging style that is humourously serious and bluntly incisive. With a fondness for quoting the poetry of Spenser, and evoking characters as diverse as Pandora and Inspector Gadget to emphasize his point, he succeeds in making a complex subject more accessible. Despite its rather dull appearance this is a practical and illuminating book that should appeal to those in the natural sciences. However, it deserves a wider readership in Sri Lanka to reinforce the tradition of home gardening. For in years to come, wealth may well be equated largely with biodiversity, in which case Sri Lanka should have a distinct advantage. So long as that biodiversity is preserved, of course. |
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