Sir John d'Oyly (1774-1824) accomplished in 1815, through shrewd diplomacy and the creation of an efficient intelligence network, the peaceful annexation on behalf of the British Crown of Sri Lanka's fiercely independent mountain kingdom of Kandy. Yet, in the press, d'Oyly voluntarily exchanged the prospect of further honours for permanent exile. Was he merely the Crown's "obedient servant", constructing a blueprint for British imperial domination or had he permitted himself to dream a romantic dream? This study of d'Oyly's conduct, motives and seemingly contradictory personality, set against the background of a feudal Asian state catapulted by colonization into a 19th century dominated by Eurocentric concepts of morality and oriental" exoticism, and by utilitarian notions of civilization, aims to unravel the cultural and psychological implications of colonial rule for both colonizer and subject.

This Inscrutable Englishman: Sir John D'Oyly, Baronet, 1774-1824

History

Gooneratne, Yasmine

Gooneratne, Brendon

Asia

Cassell

"This fascinating memoir by a member of one of Sri Lanka's ruling families . . . recounts the story of a 'Golden Age of innocence' . . . Here, too, are poignant stories of courtships, family feuds and fading fortunes."--New York Times Book Review. "Gooneratne's charming narrative recounts the intertwined lives of an aristocratic Sinhalese family for three generations amidst its mix of ancient and modern social practices."--Library Journal.

Relative Merits: A Personal Memoir of the Bandarabaike Family of Sri Lanka

PALGRAVE~MACMILLAN

A change of skies (Picador fiction)

Picador Australia

<b>As Ceylon evolves into independent, turbulent Sir Lanka and a highly political family attempts to balance language with religion and privilege with equity, two young women pursue their personal freedoms</b> In an engrossing and dramatic family drama set against the backdrop of Ceylon's bumpy evolution into Sri Lanka, the Wijesinha clan struggle to balance their staunch political ambition against the ignominy of an embarrassing family scandal. And when two young cousins Tsunami and Latha become firm friends no one can guess how their loyal support of one another will help them win personal freedom against all odds. Beautifully written and resonant in its social insights, this tale creates a richly imagined world of love, political chicanery, and family turmoil in the newly independent Sri Lanka of the 1950s and 1960s—a story that's enchanting with its combination of authenticity, humor, and passion.

The Sweet and Simple Kind: A Poetic Account of a Nation's Troubled Awakening

Literature & Fiction

Contemporary

Little, Brown Book Group

Alexander Pope (British and Irish Authors)

<p>Although Pope's reputation as a poet has never been higher among scholars and academics, changes in our attitudes to the writing of poetry and to traditional literary values and fashions in versification have created barriers between his genius and the general reader. Pope's poetry has to struggle against the assumptions that verse two centuries ago, filled with allusions to forgotten myths and contemporary personalities, can have little to say that is 'relevant'. Professor Gooneratne's study effectively shows how these barriers can be surmounted by the reader, allowing Pope's work to make its impact upon the imagination in its own way, as the expression of a powerful poetic personality which developed over forty years of continuous authorship. Every major poem in the Pope canon is fully and critically discussed, related to social circumstances that governed its composition and considered both as an example of generic writing and as an expression of personal feelings and convictions. Through detailed analysis of Pope's diction and poetic technique, Professor Gooneratne shows how his best and most deeply-felt verse expresses the living values of the Age of Enlightenment and demonstrates how a good writer can simultaneously extend and criticise the standards of his society.</p>

Humor & Satire

Cambridge University Press

Although Pope's reputation as a poet has never been higher among scholars and academics, changes in our attitudes to the writing of poetry and to traditional literary values and fashions in versification have created barriers between his genius and the general reader. Pope's poetry has to struggle against the assumptions that verse two centuries ago, filled with allusions to forgotten myths and contemporary personalities, can have little to say that is 'relevant'. Professor Gooneratne's study effectively shows how these barriers can be surmounted by the reader, allowing Pope's work to make its impact upon the imagination in its own way, as the expression of a powerful poetic personality which developed over forty years of continuous authorship. Every major poem in the Pope canon is fully and critically discussed, related to social circumstances that governed its composition and considered both as an example of generic writing and as an expression of personal feelings and convictions. Through detailed analysis of Pope's diction and poetic technique, Professor Gooneratne shows how his best and most deeply-felt verse expresses the living values of the Age of Enlightenment and demonstrates how a good writer can simultaneously extend and criticise the standards of his society.

Relative Merits - a Personal Memoir of the Bandaranaike Family of Sri Lanka

Biographies & Memoirs

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Books by Gooneratne, Yasmine