Simon Navagaththegama: Hunter of Sinhala literature Simon Navagaththegama’s Navagaththegama’s role in contemporary contemporary Sinhala literature should be evaluated against the backdrop of cheap Sinhala literary productions which have been readily crowned with awards at diverse awards ceremonies. Navagaththegama Navagaththegama was famous as a gifted novelist who was credited with introducing modern literary techniques such as magical realism and some of the prominent literary techniques used by writers such as France Kafka. Navagaththegama was also a highly talented short story writer. Although he was a gifted novelist, he displayed remarkable remarkable literary skills in crafting short stories. All in all, he wrote four collections of short stories. They are Ohuge Katawa, Sagara Jayala madi haduwa obasanda, Bavanava and Sankava. Sankava. Outstanding short story writer Some writers were famous for one genre although they substantially substantially contributed to other literary genres such as the novel and poetry. For instance, veteran literatus G.B Senanayake was famous for his insightful short stories rather than his equally brilliant novels. Navagaththegama Navagaththegama emerged against the backdrop of somewhat developed genre of Sinhala short story which was enriched and infused with much-needed tropes by Navagathegama’s predecessors such as Hemapala Munidasa, W.A Silva and Martin Wickremasinghe. Wickremasinghe. Literary rebel Being a proverbial hunter of Sinhala literature, Navagaththegama broke away from the hitherto established established mode and structure of Sinhala short story with the beginning, middle and the end in chronological chronological order. However, this break away from the established established structure of the Sinhala short story was not a pre-meditated pre-meditated move on the part of Navagaththegama. It was the case of a writer using his liberty to the maximum within the framework framework of the short short story. The subject matter of his short stories is always central to the meaning of life with the objectives of exploring the life in its manifold manifestations and interpreting complex web of life experiences. experiences. Navagaththegama’s Navagaththegama’s short short stories are are diverse in terms terms of their flesh and blood. However, most of his literary productions depicted depicted the coarse and hard life of the men and women of the Vanni in which Simon Navagaththegama was born and bred. bred. Characters in Navagaththegam Navagaththegama’s a’s writings were were largely untouched untouched by the onslaught of urbanisation urbanisation and globalisation. globalisation. A prominent approach employed employed in his short short stories was was the highly individualised individualised narrative mode. Although the mouth-piece of the writer is quite obvious, significantly, significantly, it does hamper neither the content nor the tropes employed in the text. The writer’s prime objective seemed to narrate the story exploring the complexities of life. In many instances, Navagaththegama was successful in achieving his objectives.
Insightful diction A prominent factor which made made Navagaththegama’s Navagaththegama’s literary literary productions productions extremely popular among readers was his outstanding diction full of subtleties that subject to plurality of readings. His remarkable remarkable diction seemed to derive its luscious prosperities from diverse literary and linguistic sources such as contemporary Sinhala idiom, folk idiom and the classical classical Sinhala literary idiom. However, what establishes beyond doubt within the nuanced nuanced narrative narrative mode and style is the literary colossus colossus of Simon Simon Navagaththegama Navagaththegama the writer. Navagaththegama Navagaththegama exploited the intrinsic properties properties of his potent diction in almost all of his short stories. For instance, his short story Ohuge story Ohuge Kathawa (His own story) in the collection of short stories of the same name, depicts the state of mind of newly married young man whose love for his wife is increasingly waning while seeking solace from a sex worker. The meat of the short story is the confused mind of the young man. In Ohuge Kathawa, Kathawa, the protagonist Wimal’s character is revealed not through a lengthy description as in the case of a conventional short story but through a series of well-crafted well-crafted dialogues. In the the short story Sagara Sagara jalaya madi madi handuwa oba sanda in the collection of short stories of the same name and the short story Ohu Miyagiya Pasu in the collection was subsequently turned into a film by veteran filmmaker Sumitra Peries as Sagara as Sagara jalaya madi madi handuwa oba sanda , is woven around a story of a teacher who falls in love with a young female student and explores the disturbed mind of the teacher who could not marry the girl. Even in the short story Snahaya in the collection of short stories Bavanava, Navagaththegama Navagaththegama explores the sublime nature of love; in this particular context fatherly love towards his son. The story is set against the harsh landscape of Vanni and around the lives of a peasant’s family; Rankira, Pinchi Mahaiyya and their son. The old man, Rankira becomes invalid following following a snake bite and is in a delirious state. However, Rankira responds only when his wife speaks about his son. A significant aspect of characters depicted in Navagaththegama’s short stories is their unassailable authenticity as they are almost based on and born out of the arid landscape of Vanni. His footprints in cinema Apart from his his own literary literary productions such as his novel novel Suddilage Suddilage Kathawa Kathawa and short story Ohu story Ohu malagiya pasu which were turned into cinema as Suddilage as Suddilage Kathawa and Sagara and Sagara Jayala Madihanduva Madihanduva Obasanda respectively, respectively, Simon Navagaththegama wrote scripts scripts for the films films Sirimadura and Seilama and Seilama.. His very first film script Neranjana which unfortunately had never became a film, was turned into a novel under the title Shira title Shira Sagaraya Kalabini Kalabini . His film scripts entitled Kappetipo entitled Kappetipola la and Sansara Arangnaye Arangnaye Asabada were also not made into films. Outside the cinema, Simon Navagaththegama wrote scripts for teledramas such as single episode series entitled Bhavana entitled Bhavana by by Bertrum Nihal; Nihal; the series series was made up of Pretavastuva, Pretavastuva, Bhavana and Akala and Akala Rathriya and Pretavastuva and Pretavastuva was was from Navagaththegam Navagaththegama’s a’s collection of Short stories entitled Bhavana entitled Bhavana.. Besides writing scripts for films, Navagaththegama played diverse roles in nine films; Sevanali films; Sevanali Ada Minnissu Minnissu,, Thunveni Yamaya, Yamaya, Doringe
Sayanaya, Bava Bava Duka, Duka, Bava Karma, Kinihiriya Kinihiriya Mal, Salupata Salupata Ahasata, Bambara Bambara Sanakeli and Premavantayo. Premavantayo. His life in brief Simon Navagaththegama was born on September 15, 1940 and passed away on October 9, 2005. Navagaththegama commenced his illustrious as well as controversial literary career, which expanded the horizons of contemporary Sinhala literature, with Ohuge Kathawa (1960). His voluminous as well as extraordinary literary contribution included Saagara included Saagara Jayala Madi Madi Handuwa Obasanda Obasanda (Short Story collection), Saahithyaya ,Samajawadaya ,Samajawadaya saha kala kala vicharaya, Suddhilage Suddhilage Kathawa, Sansaranyaye Sansaranyaye Dadayakkaraya which was translated into English as The Hunter in the wilderness of Sansara by Malinda Seneviratne, Sansaranyay Seneviratne, Sansaranyayee Urumakkaraya Urumakkaraya, Sansaranyaya Sansaranyaya Asabada, Asabada, Dadayakkarayage Dadayakkarayage Kathawa, Saankawa Saankawa Sapeshani, Ksheera Ksheera Sagaraya Kalabina, Kalabina, Himalaya tharanayakala tharanayakala kala Arjuna Arjuna kumarayage Kathava, Wanaraya (Radio play), Acharya play), Acharya Bryan De Cretser , Ohy saha ohuge adahas, Kalawa, Samajawadaya saha Kala Vicharaya. Vicharaya. Some of his dramas are Gangawak, Sapathukabalak saha Maranayak, Puslodan, Suba saha Yasa, Sthrii (woman) Sthrii (woman),, Sudu saha Kalu and Pandukhabaya. Pandukhabaya.
