Novelist and writer, Gunarathna Ekanayake will launch his 90th book ‘Gandabbayage Rathriya’ to coincide with his 70th birthday, today. The novel is based on the story of a judge whose life is full of secrets. The plot of the story runs between India and Sri Lanka.
The writer is hopeful that this book - the 31st novel to be published by him, would be an important landmark in his literary journey.
Ekanayaka, who hails from a rural village, Gomagoda in the Kandayan hills has won several literary awards and has earned a name as a writer and a drama producer. As a child he dreamt of becoming a writer.
However, he says, his journey has not been an easy one. “Although I was keen on writing from a tender age, it took time as I was living in a village totally cut off from the literacy field.
It was also a time when transport facilities were minimum, even to travel to the closest city – Kandy.
Today, I am happy and content. I have made a lot of things possible with sheer passion and dedication,” he says, adding that his rural background helped build the characters in his books to a great extent.
Even with 90 books to his credit, his quest is not yet over. “I can’t part with writing; it’s a compulsion and passion.”
He collects characters while travelling and talking to people. His characters are people he has encountered in life. “Often, I reinvent them to suit my storyline.” “I have several more characters and incidents protected with passion in my mind. That means, I can simply bring about a few more books over the next few years.” The rest of his life, he says, will be spent with writing and reading.
Talking about his entry into the field, Ekanayake says, after writing numerous short stories as a child, he first managed to publish a novel – Dahasak Pathum Pathala – when he was an A/L student. “But then there was a long pause - as I found it difficult to get my drafts published. Although I wrote several other novels – there were no printing facilities in our area.” “Travelling to Colombo to find publishers was a difficult journey and took time having had to travel in several buses from my home. Moreover, I didn’t have enough funds.” Therefore, I chose to work and earn, and eventually joined a state sector organization in Kandy.
But, after several decades, in 1998, I got the chance to come to Colombo to take up a new job. This was the turning point in my life.
In 2000, he won the top award for his novel, ‘Thaegi Godai’ aimed at young readers, at an all island competition. He also secured third place at the D. R. Wijewardena Novel Competition in 2003 for his book titled ‘Yaapanaya Thavamath Aethai’.
He has won top awards at several other competitions too, organized by Godage Publishers and the Department of Cultural Affairs.