Sugathapala De Silva

Sugathapala De Silva (4 August 1928 – 28 October 2002) was an acclaimed Sri Lankan dramatist and novelist, translator, radio play producer, and Sinhala Radio Play writer.

Biography

Early life

Sugathapala De Silva was born on 4 August 1928 Midigama (weligama, Matara), downsouth town 130 kilometres from Colombo to the son of a small trader. He grew up there, among Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim traders. His childhood experiences would later influence him to write the novels ''Ikbithi Siyalloma Sathutin Jeevathvuha'' and ''Esewenam Minisune Me Asaw''. According to other writing he was born in Weligama and After studied in a few schools in Galle and from tenth grade studied Jinaraja Boy's College Jinaraja Boy's College , Gampola, and came to Colombo. Sugathapala de Silva worked as a salesman at K.V.G. de Silva's bookstall at Wellawatte. He made this environment read book using free time. That habit amassed in him to gain knowledge which becomes a free thinker, a creator, an innovator, a radical and non-conformist.

1960

De Silva came to Colombo, Sri Lanka in the 1960s, and became engaged in the political and cultural movement, taking place there at that time. Nicknamed the "lovable dictator", he formed the drama group "Apey Kattiya" there, and started to translate and adapt plays by Tennessee Williams and Pirandello, like ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' and ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'', to wide acclaim. He followed these plays with original ones, like ''Thattu Geval'' and ''Boarding Karayo'' which captured the mood of the new city-bred middle classes of the time. Among his other creations are ''Eka Walle Pol'', ''Boodin Karayo'', ''Hithahonda Ammandi'', ''Harima Badu Hayak'', ''Mutu Kumari'', ''Esala Sanda'', ''Marasad'' and ''Snthuvara sebalano''.

1970

De Silva's best play is considered by many to be ''Dunna Dunu Gamuwe'', which was written just after the 1971 insurrection in Sri Lanka. Although centred on a trade union struggle, it had an admixture of politics and art expertly mixed with technique and aided by some superb acting by the late U. Ariyawimal and Wilson Jayasiri was the precursor of the serious political theatre which followed at the end of the decade.

De Silva worked for long time at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation as a producer, and in the late 1960s was in charge of the weekly radio play, and the weekly short story programs on the station, which were the first "stamping grounds" of writers and dramatists who are today well known in their own right.

De Silva was bed-ridden from 1997, and died in hospital on 28 October 2002.

Produced Plays

Published works

Awards

* 1962 'Bodin karayo' best script and play National drama festival in Sri Lanka
* 1971 best literary prize 'Ikbithi Siyalloma Sathutin Jeevathvuha' .
* 1987 'Marat sad' best Translation and play National drama festival in Sri Lanka

Scholarships

British government scholarship for study drama. daily news, by Somachandre Wijesuriya (13 November 2002), "
Sugathapala de Silva : Dramatist of the people ",

External links

Sugathapala De Silva on Sinhala Cinema Database

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Sugathapala De
1928 births
2002 deaths
Sri Lankan dramatists and playwrights
Sri Lankan novelists
Sri Lankan radio writers
20th-century novelists
20th-century dramatists and playwrights