K. Jayatilake, 1926-

Select page numbers to listen or LCCN to display the bibliographic record. These recordings were made in the field and audio quality may vary.

Readings:

1. Carita tunak.
   Colombo, Pradeepa Publishers, 2000
   • "Chapter 2"
     MP3 excerpt: p. 96-100

2. Raajapaksa valavva.
   Colombo, Pradeepa Publishers, 2001

   • "Chapter 1"
     MP3 excerpt: p. 7-23

K. Jayatilake is one of Sri Lanka's topmost creative writers of the modern period of Sinhala literature. Using his close observations of village life, Jayatilake was a pioneer in the Sinhalese realistic novel. His first creative work, Punaruppattiya, a collection of short stories published in 1955, was well received. His award-winning novel and acknowledged masterpiece, Caritha thunak, published in 1963, begins with a scene of peasants working in the field, evoking the intimate relationship between the villager and the earth. In this and other novels, Jayatilake reminds us also of the close-knit society of the village that is guided by common values.

Jayatilake published six more collections of short stories and sixteen novels. He has won seven Sri Lanka State Literary Awards. In 1967, he was awarded an UNESCO Fellowship. Some of his works have been translated.

The Library of Congress has twenty-eight works by him.