Kala Keerthi Carl Muller (22 October 1935 – 2 December 2019) was an award-winning

Sri Lankan writer The following is a list of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan writers of all types. Poets Novelists * Tissa Abeysekera * Nihal De Silva * Chitra Fernando * Vijita Fernando * Romesh Gunesekera * Indrani Karunarathne * Shehan Karunatilaka * Carl Muller * Mi ...

, poet and journalist best known for his trilogy about Burghers in Sri Lanka: ''The Jam Fruit Tree'', ''Yakada Yaka'' and ''Once Upon A Tender Time''. He won Gratiaen Awards for ''The Jam Fruit Tree'' in 1993Profile of Carl Muller at The Galle Literary Festival Website
and a State Literary Award for his historical novel, ''Children of the Lion''. He was the first Sri Lankan author to publish a book internationally. He was reported to have died on 2 December 2019 which was confirmed by his son Jeremy Muller.

Biography

Muller was born in

Kandy Kandy (, ; , ) is a major city located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of ...

, the eldest in a family of thirteen. Dismissed from three schools, Muller was finally educated at prestigious

Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo also known as; Royal Colombo, Colombo Royal College or Colombo Royal) is a Single-sex education, boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started by Joseph Marsh (priest), Joseph Mar ...

. He started his first job as a weighbridge clerk at the Mosajee's Wystevyke Mill in Colombo, thereafter he joined the Royal Ceylon Navy and served as a

signalman A signalman is a rank who makes signals using flags and light. The role has evolved and now usually uses electronic communication equipment. Signalmen usually work in rail transport networks, armed forces, or construction (to direct heavy equi ...

for four years. He then spent four months in the Ceylon Signal Corps, before being discharged as unfit for duty. He then joined the Colombo Port Commission as a signalman in the pilot station. Two years later he joined a new advertising agency established by Tim Horshington. This started his writing career working in advertising, travel and entertainment, before moving into journalism in Ceylon, Dubai and Bahrain. He served as vice-president for international sales at the Export Centre in Sharjah in 1970s with Fred Pettera and later joined Expo Centre Sharjah as part of the management team led by Fasahat Ali Khan under the ownership of Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and industry in 1992. He worked for the Times of Oman during the Gulf war before returning to Sri Lanka due to ill health. He went on to briefly serve in the

Ceylon Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; t ...

and later joined the (?) as a signals officer. He married Sortain Harris. He also worked for Gulf News and Khaleej Times in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Muller retired from his lifelong work as the onset of dementia and other medical ailments took a toll on his health. He died on the 2nd of December 2019 at the age of 84 in

with his three children and his grandson at his side.

Bibliography

Novels

* ''The Jam Fruit Tree'' (Winner of the

Gratiaen Prize The Gratiaen Prize is an annual literary prize for the best work of literary writing in English language, English by a resident of Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1992 by the Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje with the money he recei ...

) (1993) * ''Yakada Yaka'' (1994) * ''Once Upon A Tender Time'' (1995) * ''Spit and Polish (1998)'' * ''Maudiegirl and the von Bloss Kitchen''

Historical fiction

* ''Colombo – A Novel'' (1996) * ''Children of the Lion'' (1997) (Winner of the State Literary Award) * ''City of the Lion (2011)''

Science fiction

* ''Exodus 2300'' (2003)

Essays

* ''Firing at Random''

Short Story Collections

* ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Cemetery (1995)'' * ''Birdsong & Other Tales'' * ''All God's Children'' (2004) (shortlisted for the Gratiaen Award) * ''The Python of Pura Malai and Other Stories (1995)'' * ''Wedding Night'' (2007)

Poetry

* ''Father Samaan and the Devil'' * ''Sri Lanka'' – A Lyric * ''Propitiations'' * ''A Bedlam of Persuasions'' * ''Clouds over my Senses'' * ''Read Me in Silence'' * ''The Thin Red Line'' # Our Star ship and its Sorry Crew

Children's fiction

* ''Ranjit Discovers Where Kandy Began'' (1992) (also rendered in Sinhala) * ''The Python of Pura Malai and other stories''

Academic works

* ''The Elizabethans: The Origin of, and the Great Flowering of Modern English Literature – Volume I''

Views and reviews

* Many Bulls in My China Shop * More Bulls in My China Shop * More and More Bulls in My China Shop * The Bulls are Back in My China Shop

Monographs

* Glorying in that Great Divide * Conflict in Cinderella's Kitchen * The Service Economy: Is there a Dangerous Dichotomisation of Wealth? * Productivity: The Key to Economic Domination * Tourism: Aiming for that Magic Million * God Men Rising: Challenging the Bedrock of Hindu Beliefs and Values * Conflict Within: Challenging Sovereignty and Human Solidarity

Aphorism

* Carl Muller's Mental Mayhems

Hobbies

* Stamp Stories of the USA

Travelogues

* Indian Journeys

Works edited

* ''Mews and Purrs'' (Lancashire, England)] * ''The Tide Press of a Dedicated Life: A Tribute to Christine Spittel-Wilson'' * ''Rendering Unto Caesar'' * ''The Poems of Destry Muller'' (Winner of the State Literary Award) * ''A Rainbow Sash Adorns my Dreaming Sky''

References

External links

Partial Profile at The Literary EncyclopaediaAuthor page at Penguin Books IndiaAuthor page on GoodreadsAuthor page on WriteClique
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Carl 1935 births 2019 deaths Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Burgher people Sri Lankan journalists Burgher military personnel Burgher poets Burgher writers People from Kandy People from British Ceylon Sri Lankan novelists Sri Lanka Signals Corps soldiers Sri Lanka Navy sailors Kala Keerthi Sri Lankan children's writers Writers about India