A FLOWER OF THE FIELD:


A novel in English by A. C. Barr Kumarakulasinghe, published by the author.
The book is also sold by Vijitha Yapa Bookshops in Kandy and Galle.

Reviewed by S. Sivakumaran 29th April 1996, Daily News, Colombo, Sri Lanka

The author Mr. A. C. Barr Kumarakulasinghe has earlier written a novel titled a 'Tale of Three Loves'. He was encouraged by a very affectionate niece of his. In her memorv and as a tribute to her he has also produced a well written short story titled ÒThe Late LetterÓ. The language employed is contemporary, and therefore readily communicable as opposed to the language employed in the novel. It is included in this book.
This is how he begins his short story: Her name was Prudence. She was neither a prude nor a Dunce. But yet Shelton who had known her from the time she was a toddler once taunted her by calling her Prude Dense, 'I am not dense, you are dunce, she retorted, stamped her foot and left him standing amazed at the quickness of her wit and temper. That was the beginning of their fasting affection and respect for each other which was to knit them inseparably for the rest of their lives.

Sincerity

I liked this story, very much because the sincerity of the writer is evident by the natural style in which it is narrated, and therefore succeeds in communicating a heartfelt experience.
Now, let's come to the novel. A few members belonging to the Tamil community have also written fiction in English, but one cannot say that their writing covers fullv the lifestvles of the Thamil-speaking people in this country. And although some People have Tamil names, they cannot speak or write in their mother tongue S. J. K. Crowther (who was a former Editor of the Daily News), Alagu Subramaniam (who was a barrister practising in UK), C. V. Velupillai (who was a Member of Parliament in 1947 and a Trade Union leader who wrote in English and Tamil), Rajah Proctor (who I believe was attached to the Sri Lankan navy), A. Vincent Thurairajah and a few, more creative writers of the past age. Among the present dav writers are Shyam Selvadurai (who is half Tamil), Arasanayagam (who writes plays).

Community

There are also one or two writers who are not Tamils but connected with this community such as Jean Arasanayagam, who writes about some aspects of Tamilian life in this country. There are a few poets like Jegatheswari Nagendran and a few playwrights belonging to the Tamil community writing in English, A few academics and one or two freelance critics born in the Tamil community write about Sri Lnkan Tamil writing and the arts. And of course there are non- Tamil writers in this country who touch upon Sri Lankan Tamilian life particularly after the estrangement between most of the Sinhalese and Tamil communities in the name of armed struggle since the late.
This reviewer does not know the literary background of the writer but one can infer that he may be related to the Barr- Kumarakulasinghe family, some members of whom are in the legal profession. The novel depicts a period in the lives of a semi-feudal family in Jaffna at the turn of the century. That was the time when the American missionaries came to the northern part of the countr) and Were engaged in the field of education and religious conversion. As such this novel is an interesting fiction recording the foreign impact on the thinking of the conservative Jaffna society of that era. The book deserves to be mentioned because this is the first novel in English depicting the Jaffna of earlier times.
However in artistic terms, the writing lacks the present day lucid and trarrslucent style and technique in novel writing. What distracts the reader most is the post victorian prose style. And it may be argued that since the period depicted is 'ancient' the style too should reflect the conversational style of that era; but one must not forget that the writer is writing for today's readers, whose mind set and assimilation have undergone far reaching changes in colour and imagery.
In these days of new style of writing, where the English - English bookish English has been discarded in creative writing and where literature in English are created with no more production of English writing for a UK market, A Flower of the Field may read anachronistic. The pedantic and wooly style. though admired in vears past, is not in vogue in the close of the century.
However the progressive tone of the writer, especially against the rigid caste svstem in Jaffna and even in characterising the parts played by the downtrodden class of people deserves commendation.
There is mild sarcasm in the author's portrayal of the American characters. The description of love between the Christian converted Jaffna boy and the American girl is also natural. There are 35 chapters in this novel. The last chapter concludes the story a hundred years later. That was the time when a railway track was laid newly in Tellipatai. The white missionaries had departed several decades ago.

Title

What does the title mean?

The aristocratic families in Jaffna, according to the writer, have 'now mingled with international blood of no great fame or reputation as the grass in the field. The writer welcomes the change in theold order. Traces of biographical and auto-biographical sketches are evident in This fictionalised novel and as such it is in one sense a source book. not wish to reveal the story nor discuss the as pects of the novel because it will remove the freshness of the story.