James Goonewardene’s (1921-1997) collection of short stories
The Awakening of Doctor Kirthi(1976) was a landmark in Sri Lankan literature in English in the 1960s and 1970s, and in his own career as a writer. It responded to criticisms directed at this body of literature and his own earlier novels,
A Quiet Place(1968) and
Call of the Kirala(1971).
Commenting on “the complex fate of the Sri Lankan creative writer who works in English” [in the 1960 and 1970s], Ashley Halpé wrote: “there is no sustained exploration of the world these writers ought to know best – the world of the English-educated, English-speaking class – from the inside: this class has yet to produce a literature which successfully contemplates its own most profound experiences” (Halpé 1976, 2). This is
1651 words
Citation: Goonetilleke, D. C. Ranjan Alwis. "The Awakening of Doctor Kirthi and Other Stories". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 February 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16770, accessed 21 November 2024.]
