''Gamperaliya'' (''The Transformation of a Village'') is a novel written by

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n writer

Martin Wickremasinghe Lama Hewage Don Martin Wickramasinghe, (commonly known as Martin Wickramasinghe) ( si, මාර්ටින් වික්‍රමසිංහ) (29 May 1890 – 23 July 1976) was a Sri Lankan journalist and author. His books have been tran ...

and first published in 1944. Wickremasinghe subsequently wrote '' Kaliyugaya'' and ''

Yuganthaya ''Yuganthaya'' ( Sinhala: යුගාන්තය "The End of an Era" or "Destiny") is a novel written by Sri Lankan writer Martin Wickremasinghe and first published in 1949. It is the third and last part of Wickramasinghe's trilogy that began w ...

'', as a trilogy encompassing three generation of the same family and the changing society, culture and economic environment of Sri Lanka between the early and mid 20th century. ''Gamperaliya'' is considered to be one of Wickremasinghe's most famous works, with the novel depicting the breakup of traditional village life due to the impact of

modernisation Modernization theory is used to explain the process of modernization within societies. The "classical" theories of modernization of the 1950s and 1960s drew on sociological analyses of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and a partial reading of Max Weber, ...

. The gradual subversion of the traditional

economic An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...

and

social structure In the social sciences, social structure is the aggregate of patterned social arrangements in society that are both emergent from and determinant of the actions of individuals. Likewise, society is believed to be grouped into structurally rel ...

of the village by the commercial culture of the city is portrayed through the story of an

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

family in a southern village. The novel has been widely praised for its

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: * Classical Realism *Literary realism, a mov ...

in depicting Sinhala rural life and is considered an important work of

Sri Lankan literature Sri Lankan literature is the literary tradition of Sri Lanka. The largest part of Sri Lankan literature was written in the Sinhala language, but there is a considerable number of works in other languages used in Sri Lanka over the millennia (inc ...

. The novel was adapted into a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

in 1964 by

Lester James Peries Sri Lankabhimanya Lester James Peries ( Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකාභිමාන්‍ය ලෙස්ටර් ජේම්ස් පීරිස්; 5 April 1919 – 29 April 2018) was a Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter, a ...

Plot

The story begins in the early 20th Century in

Koggala Koggala ( si, කොග්ගල, translit=Koggala; ta, கொக்கலை, translit=Kokkalai) is a small coastal town, situated at the edge of a lagoon on the south coast of Sri Lanka, located in Galle District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, ...

, a hamlet in the south of Sri Lanka. Piyal, teaches English to Anula and Nanda, the daughters of Muhandiram Kaisaruwaththa at the ''Maha Gedara'', their ancestral manor. Piyal falls in love with Nanda, but she is of high caste

Govigama Govigama (also known as Goyigama, Govikula, Govi Vansa or Goyi Vansa) is a Sinhalese caste found in Sri Lanka. They form approximately half of the Sinhalese population and are traditionally involved in agriculture. The term Govigama became popula ...

family and her parents disagree to give Nanda in marriage to Piyal and instead she was given in marriage to Jinadasa Lamahewa, who is also from a high caste family. Piyal leaves the village and finds a job in Colombo and becomes rich. After a couple of years, Muhandiram Kaisaruwaththa dies, and the family declines financially. Jinadasa leaves for ''Sinhale'' to start a business. Tissa, having completed his education, goes to Colombo in search of a job. Years passed, and Piyal, now a rich man who owns a mansion in Colombo, visits his village. Nanda, her mother and sister join Piyal and his mother on a pilgrimage, where Nanda and Piyal meet again. Jinadasa, unsuccessful in business, dies penniless. Piyal marries Nanda in a grand European-fashioned wedding and they go and live in his residence in Colombo.

External links

Sri Lanka Cinema Database

References

1944 novels Sri Lankan novels Novels set in Sri Lanka Sri Lankan novels adapted into films Novels by Martin Wickramasinghe {{1940s-hist-novel-stub

Plot

See also

External links

References