Bridging Connections : An Anthology of Sri Lankan Short Stories

Contents: Introduction. I. Stories written originally in Sinhala: 1. Diversion/Martin Wickramasinghe. 2. Going back/Gunadasa Amarasekera. 3. The dancer/Ediriweera Sarachchandra. 4. A latrine for us too/K. Jayatilaka. 5. Today my son comes home/Karuna Perera. 6. The teacher/Sita Kulatunge. 7. SMS/Sunethra Rajakarunanayake. 8. Akka/Sarath Wijesuriya. II. Stories written originally in Tamil: 1. Chastity/T.S. Varatharasan. 2. Satisfaction/K. Saddanathan. 3. Among the hills/N.S.M. Ramaiya. 4. Thousands of directions/S. Yoganathan. 5. It could happen anywhere, anytime/Thamarai Chelvi. 6. Thanks/Aiyathurai Santhan. 7. The door of infatuation/Somapala Ranjakumar. III. Stories written originally in English: 1. Professional mourners/Alagu Subramaniam. 2. No state, no dog/C.V. Velupillai. 3. The doughty men of Purantota/James Goonewardene. 4. Home-coming/Vijita Fernando. 5. Reunion/Maureen Seneviratne. 6. The drummer/Gamini Akmeemana. 7. The price/Nirmali Hettiarachchi. 8. The colour of life/Ameena Hussein. 9. The rabbit's retreat/Rajiva Wijesinha. 10. Monkeys/Punyakante Wijenaike. "This short collection brings to you twenty five engaging stories from Sri Lanka's best known story-tellers. The country's simmering ethnic and political violence provides the backdrop to many of these narratives. Told with innate sensitivity to the turbulence and social complexities of their times, these stories bridge connections for a young nation torn by decades of strife. Drawn from Sinhala, Tamil and English this anthology is a compelling read that brings out the distinctive flavour and rich diversity of Sri Lankan prose."