Some travelers are into history and culture, reading all they can about a place before they go. Reading books to get an idea of the country is a great way to get accustomed before arriving. It minimizes culture shock so things will feel a little bit familiar and getting around will be simpler. Here’s our guide to the books to read before traveling to Sri Lanka.
From historic novels to contemporary literature, there is plenty to read about Sri Lanka. Authors Michael Ondaatje, Shyam Selvadurai, Carl Muler and Ashok Ferrey are just some of those who bring the country to life in their books. Discover the teardrop island from the pages of a novel before getting on the plane. If you are coming for a while, you can always go to the Barefoot Gift Shop and buy the books there.
Running in the Family
From the author of The English Patient, we have one of the greatest Sri Lankan novels of all time. In Running in the Family, Michael Ondaatje tells the story of man returning to his roots in Sri Lanka in the late 1970s. This is a great family memoir of a baroque Dutch-Ceylonese family.
This Divided Island – Stories from the Sri Lankan War
Samanth Subramanian is a journalist from New Delhi. His book, This Divided Island is a great insight into the Sri Lankan War. The island was stuck in a war for many years, and it was just recently that it ended. Understanding the war is a wonderful way to get to know the people, and will give you knowledge very little visitors have.
Stories from the Sri Lankan War | © Amazon
Cinnamon and Elephants
For 150 years, the Dutch were a big part of Sri Lankan history. Cinnamon and Elephants is a collection of images and illustrations from the Rijksmuseum collection that tell the story of all that happened during the Dutch colonial rule in Sri Lanka. The VOC, also known as the Dutch East India company has influenced much of the history of Sri Lanka and reading about it will help visitors understand a lot of what they see and experience here.
Dutch colonial rule is an important part of Sri Lankan history | © Amazon
Woolf in Ceylon
British political activist and author Leonard Woolf spent eight years in Sri Lanka between 1904 and 1912. In Woolf in Ceylon, author Christopher Ondaatje tells the story of Leonard’s life and his time in the Sri Lankan jungle. Tales of travels to the north of Sri Lanka in the midst of the Tamil crisis are particularly memorable.
A journey in the footsteps of Leonard Woolf | © Amazon
A Village in the Jungle
Leonard Woolf started writing a series of books about the time he spent in Sri Lanka. A Village in the Jungle tells the story of the hardships and mysteries of life in the tropics. His period in Sri Lanka gave Woolf first-hand insight into what it’s like to live in the deep, hot, intense jungle. This is one of the all-time favorite Sri Lankan novels.
The Village in the Jungle | © Amazon
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