what is the literature of Sri Lanka?
It is not so very easy to find any reliable piece of information about the literature(s) of Sri Lanka. Nonetheless, it is undoubtfully a deep time writing tradition. Among the two major ethnic groups and languages of the island (Singhalese and Tamil), the Sinhala seems to predominate both by the number of texts and by the antiquity of its tradition. The oldest known work is Siyabaslakara ("The Ornaments of One's Language"), ascribed to King Sena I (r. 832–851); it is a treatise on rhetoric. On the other hand, I suppose there must be a legacy of Buddhist writings, teachings, wisdom, hymns, such things - but this is just a supposition; I have no precise knowledge of it.
The contemporary literature in the country is primarily associated with tales, shorter narrative genres. Which is - again, as I suppose - a mark of a rather fragile writerly culture and unsophisticated public lacking assiduity. But of course, I may be very wrong in assuming this.
The contemporary literature in the country is primarily associated with tales, shorter narrative genres. Which is - again, as I suppose - a mark of a rather fragile writerly culture and unsophisticated public lacking assiduity. But of course, I may be very wrong in assuming this.
I have read... nothing ...
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I have written... nothing ...
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