Martin Wickramasinghe Life

Martin Wickramasinghe was one of the most prominent Sri Lankan writers of all times. He was born in 1890 in a village in Southern Sri Lanka, Koggala. It is said that the landscape of this place, where he had spent his childhood was what inspired most of his novels and stories. The village was bounded on one side by the reef and on the other by a large lake. The area had a specific fauna, flora and it contained forests that all together made up the real world and imaginary at the same time in which this writer lived. In his own autobiography, the writer agrees that his man recurrent theme is the search for roots, especially in what his writings on the culture and life of the people in that country is concerned. His village created for him the space in which he could explore the world of literature, arts, philosophy, linguistics, education and Buddhism as well as many other such natural and social sciences. The vision he adopts is one of tolerance, humanity but realistic at the same time when it comes to the traditional life in the Buddhist culture. He did however value one's intellectual freedom and independence and he often questioned tradition. In his work, he often criticized opposed dogmatism, elitism, oppression and casuistry in all forms that these could be found in, including political, social, and religious as well as cultural.

He died in 1976 and he has remained one of the most known and widely recognized Sri Lankan authors. His work has been translated in several languages such as English, Russian, Tamil, Hindi, Dutch and German, French and Japan, among others. There is no question that the legacy that this writer has left for his country and his culture will be remembered for much more time from now to come.

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