Manel Eriyagama

Last updated

Manel Eriyagama is a Sri Lankan academic, translator and author. In 2023, she won the H. A. I. Goonetileke Prize for her translation work titled Jewels, which is a compilation of 14 Sinhala short stories by contemporary writers. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Biography

She pursued her primary education at Mahamaya Vidyalaya. She also attended Ampitiya Convent for a brief stint. She was inspired by the works of Charles Dickens, such as Nicholas Nickelby and Little Dorrit, during her childhood. [5]

She is also involved in gardening. Her husband is a teacher who also served as the Director of Administration at the Royal Institute for a brief period. Her daughter works as a consultant dermatologist, while her son works as a supply chain manager in Australia. [5]

Career

She also served as an instructor at the English Language Teaching Unit. She has insisted that her 37-year experience as an instructor at the English Language Teaching Unit did not turn out to be productive, and she also found spare time to focus on translating only after her retirement from the English Language Teaching Unit. [5]

She began her higher education at the University of Peradeniya. She translated a collection of Sinhala short stories authored by her mentor Piyaseelie Wijemanne. The English translation of Piyaseelie's short story collection eventually won the acclaimed State Literary Award in the translation category. [5]

Piyaseelie Wijemanne also encouraged Manel Eriyagama to engage in translation of other prominent writers original works. She also began translating Liyanage Amarakeerthi's collection titled Duwana Wattiya Saha Sinasena Tikira. She has also published four novels catering to the teenagers. [6]

She compiled and published an English translation titled Jewels in collaboration with Sarasavi Bookshop by selecting 14 Sinhala short stories written by different authors, and the stories covered most of the subject matters relating to the context of Sri Lankan society, including the hierarchy, stereotypes, mental health, poverty, family relationships, romance, and traditions. [2]

Related Research Articles

Vijita Fernando is a Sri Lankan journalist, translator and fiction writer. She was a winner of the Gratiaen Prize and has received Sri Lanka’s State Literary Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Jayasena</span>

Kala Keerthi Dr Bastian Koralage Henry Rudrigo Jayasena, popularly known as Henry Jayasena, was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television. With a career spanning more than four decades, Jayasena is considered one of the best dramatists in Sri Lankan drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tissa Abeysekara</span> Sri Lankan filmmaker and writer (1939-2009)

Deshabandu Tissa Ananda Abeysekara was a Sri Lankan filmmaker, actor, writer, director, screen playwright and political activist. He is better known as a script writer for the cinema as well as a film director. In 1996, his book Bringing Tony Home won the prestigious Gratiaen Prize for the new creative writing in English. He was the chief coordinator of FOSWAL in Sri Lanka and honoured awardee of SAARC Literary Award.

The Gratiaen Prize is an annual literary prize for the best work of literary writing in English by a resident of Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1992 by the Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje with the money he received as joint-winner of the Booker Prize for his novel The English Patient. The prize is named after Ondaatje's mother, Doris Gratiaen.

Henry Alfred Ian Goonetilleke was a director of the University of Peradeniya library, the first chairman of the Gratiaen Trust and an eminent scholar in Sri Lanka.

Vivimarie VanderPoorten is a Sri Lankan poet. Her book Nothing Prepares You won the 2007 Gratiaen Prize. She was also awarded the 2009 SAARC Poetry Award in Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shehan Karunatilaka</span> Sri Lankan writer (born 1975)

Shehan Karunatilaka is a Sri Lankan writer. He grew up in Colombo, studied in New Zealand and has lived and worked in London, Amsterdam and Singapore. His 2010 debut novel Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew won the Commonwealth Book Prize, the DSC Prize, the Gratiaen Prize and was adjudged the second greatest cricket book of all time by Wisden. His third novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida was announced as the winner of the 2022 Booker Prize on 17 October 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malinda Seneviratne</span>

Malinda Channa Pieris Seneviratne is a Sri Lankan poet, critic, journalist, translator, political commentator, and activist. Known for his outspoken political views, his opinion pieces are among the most widely read in English in Sri Lanka. His poetry collections and translations of Sinhala texts have also been widely read and acclaimed, and have been frequently shortlisted for the prestigious Gratiaen Award. On February 17, 2021, he assumed duties as the Director of the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute.

Kala Keerthi Sybil Wettasinghe was a children's book writer and an illustrator in Sri Lanka. Considered as the doyen of children's literature in Sri Lanka, Wettasinghe has produced more than 200 children's books which have been translated into several languages. Two of her best known works are "Child In Me" and "Eternally Yours".

Madhubhashini Disanayaka Ratnayaka is a Sri Lankan academic and author. Her novel There is Something I Have to Tell You won the Gratiaen Prize in 2011. She is the Head of English Language at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

Seetha Arambepola is a Sri Lankan politician, surgeon, and Member of the Parliament from National List. She was the State Minister of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation. Currently she is the State Minister of Health.

Lakshmi de Silva is a translator, writer and critic from Sri Lanka. In 2000, her work was shortlisted for the Gratiaen Prize. She has also received the Sahithyarathna Award for lifetime achievement.

The H.A.I. Goonetileke Prize for Literary Translation is a bi-annual literary prize in Sri Lanka. It is awarded by the Gratiaen Trust, which also awards the Gratiaen Prize, for the translation of Sinhala or Tamil language creative writing into English. It was established in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Ranaweera</span> Sri Lankan feminist writer and journalist

Eva Ranaweera was feminist writer, poet and journalist who wrote in both English and Sinhala. She was the first editor of the magazine Vanitha Viththi.

<i>Happy Birthday</i> (2022 Sri Lankan film) 2022 Sri Lankan film

Happy Birthday is a 2022 Sri Lankan Sinhala action mystery thriller film directed by Aruna Jayawardena and produced by The Capital Maharaja Organization Limited as a Stein Film, and distributed by M Entertainments. The film stars Dilhani Ekanayake and Isuru Lokuhettiarachchi in lead roles whereas Tashi Kalidasa, Yohani Hettiarachchi, Surya Dayaruwan and Randika Goonetileke made supportive roles.

Sakuntala Sachithanandan is a Sri Lankan poet, lawyer and storyteller. Her literary work often focused on themes such as poverty, social inequalities, animals, children and exploitation of labourers.

Visakesa Chandrasekaram is a Sri Lankan film director, community law practitioner, human rights lawyer, activist, writer, novelist, dramatist, songwriter, artist, stage performer and academic. He won the Gratiaen Prize for his play titled Forbidden Area (1999). He was well known for his cinematic storytelling through portraying experiences faced by victims and marginalized communities.

Elmo Jayawardena is a Sri Lankan pilot, philanthropist, writer, novelist, storyteller and author. He is the founder and President of AFLAC International, a humanitarian organization that actively works towards alleviating poverty. He won the Gratiaen Prize for his novel Sam's Story (2001).

Ruwanthie de Chickera also spelt as Ruwanthi de Chickera is a Sri Lankan playwright, dramatist, screenwriter, activist, writer and theatre director. She has engaged in research on various fields including politics, sexuality, education, religion, arts, violence and culture. She jointly won the Gratiaen Prize along with Lakshmi de Silva in 2000.

Lalitha Karalliadde Withanachchi also spelt as Lalitha Witanachchi was a Sri Lankan educator, journalist and writer. She worked as a journalist at Daily News for 12 years. She was the joint winner of the inaugural edition of the Gratiaen Prize.

References

  1. ↑ "Dual winners for Gratiaen prize 2023 - Life Online". www.life.lk. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  2. 1 2 "Jewels: Translating Local Culture - News Features | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  3. ↑ Weerasooriya, Sahan (2023-06-20). "Winners of 30th Gratiaen prize and H.A.I. Goonetileke prize for translation announced" . Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  4. ↑ Athapattu, Induwara (2023-06-23). "Gratiaen Prize winners announced". Ceylon Today. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "English instructor who stumbled on her knack for translation". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  6. ↑ "Bridging literary worlds". Latest in the News Sphere | The Morning. 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.