Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Colombo Streets by Thisuri Wanniarachchi



A recent trend in Sri Lanka is to start writing books at a young age. A few years ago, a fourteen year old boy wrote a thriller. It was well written if somewhat gruesome and disconcerting from one so young. The latest book in this trend is from a fifteen year old school girl. Colombo Streets, has a catchy title and a distinctive cover. The production of the book is good and inviting to the casual reader. And after seeing the launch in the newspaper I was intrigued and picked the book up. But I was soon to decide that if there is any reason to ban children from writing books, this is it.
After having read the book, and expressed my displeasure to my friends, I honestly had no intention of reviewing the book, as I thought this blog had dealt too much with bad writing and was looking around for a good book of Sri Lankan literature. But after reading the interview that Thisuri Wanniarachchi gave to the Nation newspaper, I felt that I had to write a review on both her interview and her book.
First the interview: She claims that she doesn’t like to read much and she hates reading. She implies that reading is a waste of her time and she may as well spend that time writing. Here is a piece of advice: You can’t be a good writer, unless you are a good reader. She has the audacity to admit that she has a weak vocabulary because she doesn’t read much and that people have called her writing style ‘simple’. She is under a misconception. Her writing style is not simple, it is simply bad.
Her interview goes on to say much more that is silly and trite and I wont dwell much more on that. Now onto the book.
The gist of the book is as follows: A young Tamil girl from Kilinochchi is adopted at the age of ten by a Sinhala grandmother who lives in Colombo. Favoured by the grandmother, cheekily called J- Lo, her Sinhalese adopted sister Sarah feels jealous of Indeevari. Sarah, a champion swimmer begins to feel ill and to everyone’s shock and disappointment she is diagnosed with cancer. She moves to Singapore for treatment and after some time she is sent back to Sri Lanka with no hope for recovery. Eventually, after being introduced to a charismatic Buddhist priest she is healed.
It should have been a feel good book but it wasn’t. Why was this?
According to Thisuri’s interview the ultimate message of the book apparently is to leave people with cancer a message of hope. But there were so many other messages found in the book that reduced her primary message. For instance, there were many complicated situations that needed to be handled delicately – the issue of displacement, cancer, ethnic conflict, generation gap, adoption etc. The book seemed to breeze through not tackling any issue with the sensitivity and delicacy that was warranted. In fact, the book almost trivialized all the issues it dealt with.
Unevenly handled, the book glosses over Indeevari’s situation of displacement, conflict, and adoption. The book also handled the subject of cancer carelessly, which is a disservice to those stricken with cancer and who know first hand what it is to go through a serious illness.
I would like to end on a positive note, therefore I would say that Thisuri’s use of language was modern and young and reflective of the age of the narrator.
A word of advice to indulgent parents: Encourage your children to read first, buy them books, rather than publish their book. They will thank you for it, when they are ready to write their novel as adults.

55 comments:

  1. Why the hell are you incorporating what the writer has said at the interview with the contents of the book??? :) Either review the interview or the book... How does what the writer say have to do with the reality the text evokes???? I don't see a necessary connection. Review the book on what you sense out of it. And save the poor writer the baton, pal.

    A word of advice --- pick someone ur own size to kick ass with. Battering a 15 year old constitutes as child abuse :) :)Wasn't it mentioned in all those books u read (before u started blogging?) lol... Nah -- me being pervy, ok?

    I like ur blog... Im gonna recommend it around. Keep on writing. Cheers!

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  2. Hey, thanks for the kind of back handed compliment. No seriously, thanks for reading my blog. And yeah thanks for the comments also. And I suppose, yeah! I was a bit too hard on the 15 year old author. But the truth is that when I read her interview, I was kind of cheesed off and needed to get it out of my system. Anyway, thanks Vihanga and hope to see more comments from you.

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  3. Hi, i read COLOMBO STREETS.. n i found it very impressive for a little girl of just fourteen to write it..
    i think you are wrong in this..her writing was pretty good for her age and i haven't ever seen work like this from child writer of this age, not just in sri lanka but anywhere else in the world it's hard not to imagine that Thisuri will reach high very standards in this field someday..
    just wanted to let you know, you are just discouraging the next generation of writers who will be replacing us...
    I hope Thisuri Waniarachchi keeps up her good work.
    An if you say you criticised her work just because of what you felt after reaing her interview, anybody can imagine your state of mind.

    And Thisuri,
    if you read this by any chance: Do not get discoraged. KEEP ON WRITING. i wish you all the best. and i am happy in a way that you got to experience the the standards of our local critics at the begging of your very long journey.

    Neluka.

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  4. Dear Anonymous,
    on reflection of yours and Vihanga's comments, I do agree with both of you. I was unnecessarily harsh with Thisuri and yes, for a fourteen year old to write so ably is commendable. So Thisuri, if you ever do read this review of your book, I am sorry if I have discouraged you to write, That is not my intention, for, if I take your age into account, you handled a difficult topic reflective of your age, which is not unrealistic. And I do think you have a lot of talent ahead of you and do encourage you to work at it.
    But I do stand by my comment to parents who think their children have talent and would like to encourage it, that publishing their child's work is not the way to go about it. Reading and perhaps attending the numerous writing workshops that seem to abound may be more the way to go. There is also the website WriteClique where you can upload your writing and get people to send their comments on it. And Anonymous, I truly really did read the book. Promise! Surely I will not write a review without reading the book?

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  5. True...
    I have read thisuri's work on writeclique, some of them them are really good...
    Neluka.

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  6. I think it is important to embrace the fact that there still exists amongst the fast paced life style of children today, a collective group of those who aspire to be young writers. Even though her writing style may have not appealed to everyone blogging in this site, it is important to recognize her desire and zest to produce a creative style of writing. Not many young children would sit down today and prepare a work of literature to be published; so I think it is important to not judge these young writers at a level that you believe they should be writing at, but commend them for their originality, creativity and effort they put into their delicately worded ensembles.

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  8. Well, I totally agree with ya Egghead.....I kinda pointed at her faults n mistakes she had made in the book n made a few reccommendations for which she was tooo uppish to accept I guess.....Well, I couldn't care less !!

    15 year old auther...I'd say to hell with the authers age, its the reader she needs to satisfy n if she wanna target a large reader base she needs to write a better book than that....What she has to understand is that the reader is the one to buy her book, n they wouldn't consider buying her just cuz shes a 15 year old writing a book, the reader aint that prone to sentiment...The book needs to have been written well if it is to be published...

    Encouragement is seperate from construct6ive criticism, she needs to learn from her mistakes....Thats my only point....

    Faizer Shaheid

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  9. I read this book last night. and i began to feel that this book is upto the standard to win international awards. And I'm sure it will. I wonder why anyone would want to put her work down when it is so good. I'm sure Thisuri Wanniarachchi will be someone who would make our country proud one day.

    Prof. Mohan Munasinghe

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  10. I am glad that Professor Munasinghe thinks the book is up to winning international awards. If this is the standard we expect to win awards I personally think it is rather low. But each to one's own, and I respect all the views that have been expressed on this blog.
    I still think there should be a difference between encouraging children to be creative and being unnecessary false in one's praise. If we set our standards low, our quality of production will be low.
    I am also pleased that Thisuri has a lot of fans out there. It means people are reading and that initself is a good sign.
    I look forward to more comments.

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  11. well, obviously to take SL's english literary work into a higher standard we need time. i think this book is a good start and example for all the children who will start writing after reading this... do agree with prof. Munasinghe upto acertain extent. And by the way i just found out that someone has hacked into the writeclique webite and its out of order..

    Neluka.

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  12. Neluka, dude, really.'her writing was pretty good for her age and i haven't ever seen work like this from child writer of this age,' NEITHER have i...and its books like this that makes me see the logic behind King Hero's actions...smart man him.

    Dr. Durden

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  14. Sorry Dr Durden,
    no personal insults, so I had to remove that comment.

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  15. Dear Neluka
    I feel that we are far more tolerant of bad writing in English than we should be. In India, which is extremely competitive, there is excellent writing that never even makes it internationally.As long as we have this tolerance for mediocre writing, we shall produce more and more mediocre writing. That is all. But we should not have unrealistic expectations of how our writing measures up.

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  16. dear egg head,
    ur "Dr. Durden" trick was soo obvious and not at all impressive..nice try though

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  17. HOLD on a sec...how could you confuse Egghead with Dr. Durden,jesus Christ...anyway why would she want to create a pseudonym to call bad writing BAD...

    anyway, its ok that you removed my second comment. i told you that i was going to do something childish, he he

    anyway i still maintain, this book is one of the or THE most terrible book i've ever read, regardless of age, sex and the nationality of the author.

    i think egghead has been particularly 'nice' towards the kid. my review would run like this 'once is ENOUGH'

    Dr. Durden

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  18. There are good reviewer in SL. But we find many who belong to the category of reviewer “egghead” belongs to. I’m a writer and I personally know what sort of people these reviewers exactly are..
    1. They know their English well
    2. But they have no talent to become a writer
    3. So they are utterly frustrated
    4. They take their frustrations out of the work of writers
    5. Writers ignore them
    6. Being ignored makes them even more frustrated
    7. Mostly, these reviewers are not married..or divorced or single or have a complicated family life
    8. They live a very lonely life.
    9. Most of these critics are ignored characters in the society.

    here in this website we see a constantly ignored (pls go thru his/her previous reviews) critic who is afraid to let the society know who he/she really is and appears in his/her reviews with the name "egghead" instead of his/her real name.

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  19. pls ignorehe typing mistakes in d above comment

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  20. 'Writers ignore them' and 'Being ignored makes them even more frustrated' so fart so good but u say that 'i'm a writer'.what are you doing here bro?

    Dr. Durden

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  21. so far, was wat i meant

    Dr. D

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  22. The sociological survey of reviewers amuseth me. Are you sure it wasn't serial killers you looked up?

    Summer

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  23. Dear Anonymous writer,
    I am a reader, and that is the most important reviewer in my book. I read a lot, and have opinions which I express through this blog. I actually began this blog, because I couldnt rely on the reviews that appear in the newspapers which are generally written by the writer's friends. I wanted an outlet to write my reviews- hence the blog. If you disagree with my review, leave a comment, like many people have already done. Start a discussion.

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  24. its funny how Dr.D, sUMMER N EGGHEAD CUM ONLINE AT THE SME TIME:)

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  25. its called destiny love.

    Dr. Durden

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  26. You make Egghead sound shcizophrenic. Dude, why would Egghead make a comment then tell herself sorry, she had to remove it? It's more twisted than your list.

    Summer

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  27. don't forget anonymous, you too are also online at the same time. And are you saying that only egghead/Dr Durden/Summer can think in this way because they are the same person? Then Dude, you could be any of the others writing under different names. Relax, the world is huge. There is definitely going to be dissenting opinion from time to time. Its no biggie!

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  28. you are one big joblless looser..

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  29. Tch tch... Feisty writers we seem to have

    Summer

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  30. Because I am pedantic. Anonymous and all the others who don't know how to spell it. The correct way is: loser, the way you have spelt it anonymous is: looser (which has a totally different meaning).
    And yes, Summer, writers, are feisty, tetchy, annoying and opinionated. Isnt that wonderful!

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  31. loooooooooooooooser

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  32. u at least used ur brain a bit n commented a day after..hmm..i see improvement

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  33. Dr. Durden recommends that you should write, other words than loser

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  34. Call me a biatch,but I agree with you, egghead. the fact that the kid is 16 is no excuse for the hopeless grammar and sketchy work which gives Colombo Streets a very 'rough draft' feel. To make things worse, its obvious that the book has not been looked at by a decent editor because if it had, it may have been a damn sight better.

    Incompreso

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  35. About the review itself, I'm glad you noticed this trend to start writing at a young age. Veritably frightening, some of the works. To say it's all well and good is like height of politeness and nothing else.

    Summer

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  36. This little girl has even hopes of being nominated for a Gratien prize!!! She seems a very big headed person for 16 years!!! I've got to agree with Egghead!!

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  37. egghead, bumped into your blog quite by chance. Read a few of your other reviews as well-and this is clearly your most ruthless :) also by chance, i read some of Thisuri's work a while back when she (very randomly) sent some of her work to me asking for opinion-i do agree with you that her writing needs a bit more work and she needs to narrate story with more ownership (?) perhaps. However, i'm not sure her age has anything to do with it. It's bold that she attempts writing at so young an age-but to conjure banning children from writing altogether is slightly over the top-wouldn't you think?
    p.s: Loved your review on "Nothing Prepares You"

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  38. Ok, after being chastised by numerous readers that I have been unnecessarily harsh on Colombo Streets, I will say that I may have been somewhat extreme in saying that children should be banned from writing. So for the umpteenth time - apologies.
    On a slightly different note, I am quite amazed that of all the posts, this one has elicited the most responses.
    And thanks for saying you liked the 'Nothing Prepares You' review, it is easily one of my favourite books of Sri Lankan poetry.

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  39. lol!i haven't read Colombo Streets-just some work she sent me sometime back.
    It's great that you're such an avid reader who sets high standards for writers here. kudos! I think I'm going to visit your blog often.

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  40. Egghead RULES!!!

    This little girl is a real headcase!!! what a unimginative book!!

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  42. Sorry for the late reply. I saw this a few months ago but wasn’t in a mood to say anything in reply. I sat for my ordinary level exam this December so I had to stay away from the internet for a while. First of all I thank you for the review and also to each of you who had different comments on it. Different people see things in different points of view. And I guess that’s what literature is all about. :)

    True, this is my first attempt to write a novel and my writing might not be perfect to some of you. Thank you for all your comments they will help me in future:).

    And about my interview to The Nation I think there was a bit of misunderstanding there. I never said I don’t read. Reading became a hobby of mine way before writing. What I had meant there was that I do not have much time to read (since I was interviewed a few months before my exam).

    Anyway, I am happy to see so many comments on my work. I’ve got loads to take from this for my future carrier. And I certainly don’t think this discouraging. I know I can’t expect you to be all nice to me because of my age, what matter is my writing.
    And just like you’ve said it’s a good sign that so many have read it.

    And I certainly disagree with the person who believes that "Sri Lankan reviewers" are “frustrated” people. Well, if they are “frustrated”, “ignored characters in the society” why would they want to point things out that would help writers improve themselves?

    And about banning children from writing books;

    one thing I’ve realized is that that children of our generation is not much into writing. Even children who know they can write well don’t want to be into it ‘cause they feel like it’s lame thing to do.
    In Sri Lanka, at a time like this when fourteen year olds hang themselves in school toilets for the lamest reasons, when the hobbies like reading books and creative writing are being replaced by hobbies like, video games, porn and pooling, banning children from writing books is just going to make the situation worse:P I hope you weren’t serious about it. :P

    Once again Thank you.

    -Thisuri Wanniarachchi.

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  43. i was very impressed by the authors age and i picked this book up from sarasavi a few months ago.
    i went through each of these comments and i wonder if all of you have any personal issues with this young writer.
    to me colombo streets is a feel good novel that has few potholes here and there. To a certain extent i feel that this child's talent is no ordinary one, after all she is only fourteen. You should have considered the age of the writer before writing such a harsh review. What we need to do is to encourage her to keep on writing.
    And i think the way she has responded to this review should be appriciated.

    Uditha Wijayadasa

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  44. Uditha,

    Please dont feel pity because of age. If at this rate people write books, we wont have left any decent to recent.

    Government should have a screening process so that such gayish and lame books dont get into the bookshops!!

    Long live egghead, down with the lames :)

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  45. and looks like our 14 year old author watches porn in her loo!! LOL

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  46. WTF is wrong with all of you dick heads... give thisuri wanniarachchi a freaking break!!!!! u all need to get a life and egghead u specially!!!!!!!!!

    i will not watch a talented young author being put down like this...and egghead..people have feelings...maybe except u!!

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  47. we are just being honest, if the book was not lame, i would say that it is 'not lame' thats the whole point of a review right??
    but its LAME. lol

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  48. looks like this thisuri girl has chickened out already!

    poor her, must be feeling like a coward.LOL

    got to give it up to egghead !!

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  49. who is the coward here? who doesn't have the gutts to mention his/her real name? who doesn't have the gutts to publish this on a newspaper? i understand, you probably would have tried but what kind of newspaper would accept reviews of this standard? at least thisuri had the gutts to publish her work. her work has been recognized internationally and and she is the first sri lankan to be awarded a full sholarship to study at the Kenyonreview writing school,which is known as the best writing school in the US. we all know who she is and what she is capable of. she is only sixteen. and i ask you egghead if in your pretty long life, which is probably more than twice as long as Thisuris have you acheived at least half of what she has acheived? we understand your joblessness by looking at the amount of time you have wasted talking bullshit about this little girl on this blog.
    your name suits you egghead.
    we feel sorry for you. find a job. find a life.
    don't waste your time wondering why she doesn't give shit about ths review.

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  50. I think its silly to put insulting and useless comments. They don't help anyone. Thisuri, thanks for your long and explanatory comment. It made a lot of sense and thank you for taking the review in the best possible spirit. I look forward to your second novel. Congratulations on your American Scholarship. I believe that it could have a positive impact on your creative work. Good Luck!

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  51. obviously the earlier comment was from thisuri! a real monkey praising her own tail!
    What on earth is a Kenyonreview ?? a Kenyan HIV camp?

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  52. Uncalled for Robert! Have you even read her book?

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  53. No Robert... kenyonreview is a very prestigious.... well... actually I have no idea, A quick Google search brought up this - http://www.kenyonreview.org/
    Can't be bothered to explain it to you though, so, good luck reading :)

    Well, it took me some time, but I finally managed to finish reading most of the replies that were worth reading. There were writers, reader,s professors, doctors, random people with no life, more random people and last as well as least - random people who think that expressing what a person feels is wrong. Anyway, being apparently the only actual writer who is as young as Thisuri and who has been writing for the past five to six years I have to regretfully join Egghead's side. Being Sri Lankan myself, I expect high quality work from my fellow writers. However, Thisuri's novel did not live up to my standards. When I read it, a few years ago, I found its grammar and language dull. It took me a few hours to finish it, and after finishing it, although I felt happy that there were others like me in Sri Lanka, I felt that she could have done a better job.
    But, we mustn't forget that compared to many (not all) other Sri Lankans, her writing was very good. Many people think that all writing takes is a good knowledge of the English language and an idea, :P as if! I certainly wish it was that easy, but it isn't. For Thisuri to actually decide to publish a book and actually keep her cool and determination through the process [something I failed due to a lack of support :( ] is very admirable.
    Although I don't at any point think that the book deserved to win a prize (at the national literary awards or something similar?). Nor do I believe she should be allowed to go to Kenyonreview (if it does exist). Why? Because that would hinder her chances of improving, which, at this point, is absolutely necessary for her survival in the literary world if she is determined to write more. And also because there are others out there in Sri Lanka who are better writers than her and deserve that scholarship more than she does... of course my last line could have been biased because of some friendly jealousy :P
    Anyway, regardless of what some people say, I would really like if you could review or comment on some of my work as well, although it isn't yet complete. It would be a great help if you agree.

    And also, to those who criticize Egghead's review -
    If Thisuri is a real writer, and I hope and believe she is, she wouldn't be discouraged or angered by Egghead's review. As writers, we welcome reviews that are harsh, after all, it is by facing such reviews that we can improve. So Thisuri, if you are reading this (I highly doubt it, but there is a chance), great work! You've achieved something that countless have failed to, as a fellow writer, I for one am awaiting the launch of your next book.

    Note - Pardon any grammar or spelling mistakes because I usually don't go through what I've written twice.

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  54. @March 25th and May 14th comments are most obviously by thisuri! No malice, just pointing out the obvious.

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