Eva Ranaweera
Native name
ඊවා රණවීර
Born1924
Died9 February 2010
Resting placeBorella cemetery
OccupationNovelist; poet; journalist
LanguageEnglish
Sinhala
CitizenshipSri Lanka
Alma materUniversity of Colombo
Notable worksSedona
Notable awardsState Literary Award (1993, 1998)

Eva Ranaweera (Sinhala: ඊවා රණවීර; 1924 – 9 February 2010) was feminist writer, poet and journalist who wrote in both English and Sinhala. She was the first editor of the magazine Vanitha Viththi.

Biography

Ranaweera was born to a privileged Sri Lankan family and grew up speaking only English.[1] Her family had worked for the British colonial administration in what was then Ceylon.[2] She attended Holy Cross College, Gampaha.[1] She studied English, History and Sinhala at the University of Colombo from 1949 to 1953.[1] She later wrote in both English and Sinhala, and published books and articles in both languages.[3]

After university she joined the Sinhala-language newspaper Lankadeepa, despite the fact she was just beginning to learn the language.[2] Her first assignments were to translate articles from English to Sinhala.[2] After four years at the newspaper, she resigned and began work at the University of Colombo as a translator.[2] However she resigned shortly afterwards and began to travel around the world, visiting Switzerland, Russia, China, India and Vietnam, as well as working in Egypt.[2] She returned to Sr Lanka and became the first editor of the popular women's magazine Vanitha Viththi.[3] A feminist, Ranaweera used her writing and her activism to broaden the horizons of women, particularly those in rural areas.[4] She published five volumes of poetry in English, which included her first publication.[1]

Ranaweera died on 9 February 2010.[3] At the time of her death she was editing the journal Voices of Women, which was published by the feminist organisation Kantha Handa.[4] Her funeral took place on 11 February 2010 at Kanatte Cemetery in Borella.[1]

Reception

Described as "a bilingual writer par excellence", Ranaweera was also praised for her depictions of rural working class voices in the novels Laisa and Sedona.[1] She is recognised for her use of stream-of-consciousness in both novels.[2] This has led to comparisons with James Joyce and Siri Gunasinghe.[2] According to S.B. Anuruddhika Kumari Kularathna, her novels can be "located in the context of Subaltern Studies, Post colonialism and Feminism".[5] Her poetry was described by L W Conolly as both "strong and emotive" and "occasionally humdrum".[6] Her novel Sedona was adapted into an award-winning television in Sri Lanka.[7]

Ranaweera was noted as one of a small number of Anglophone writers, who chose to stay in Sri Lanka after its civil war, rather than flee to the West.[8]

Awards

State Literary Award

  • 1998 - With Maya
  • 1993 - When we returned without you

Gratiaen Prize

  • 2000 (shortlisted) - Blissfully.[9]
  • 1996 (shortlisted) – With Maya.[9]
  • 1994 (shortlisted) – What Will you Do Do Do Clara, What Will you do?[9]

Selected publications

In Sinhalese

Novels

Drama

  • Attakamal Paravagiya (1993)[12]
  • Pin Gona
  • Lovi Gahe Pilila
  • Ehata Vahala Nil Ahasai
  • Samanala Uyana
  • Maha Andakaraya

Short stories

  • Mora Kele
  • Atara Maga

In English

Poetry

  • What will you do do do Clara what will you do? (1994)[13]
  • When we returned without you
  • With Maya (1997)[14]
  • Blissfully
  • Ending with beginning (2001)[15]

Non-fiction

  • Some Literary Women of Sri Lanka (1991)[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thilakarathne, Indeewara (14 February 2010). "Life and works of Eva Ranaweera". archives.sundayobserver.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chandrarathne, Ranga; Palliyaguruge, S.R. (14 February 2010). "Literary footprints of Eva Ranaweera". archives.sundayobserver.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  3. 1 2 3 "Sri Lanka News | Online edition of Daily News – Lakehouse Newspapers". archives.dailynews.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  4. 1 2 "The 'Voice of Women' is heard once again as a tribute to Eva". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  5. ↑ Kularathna, S. B. Anuruddhika Kumari (2009). "Re-reading Eva Ranaweera's novels- In the light of subaltern studies". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ↑ Benson, Eugene; Conolly, L. W. (2004-11-30). Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-46848-5.
  7. ↑ https://www.pressreader.com/sri-lanka/daily-mirror-sri-lanka/20210208/282157883936606. Retrieved 2021-09-07 – via PressReader. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ Jayasuriya, Maryse (2012-03-29). Terror and Reconciliation: Sri Lankan Anglophone Literature, 1983–2009. Lexington Books. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-7391-6579-9.
  9. 1 2 3 "Gratiaen Prize Winners & Short Listed Writers 1993–2019". The Gratiaen Trust. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  10. ↑ Ranaweera, Eva (1967). Lăyisā (in Sinhala). Sarasavi prakāśakayō.
  11. ↑ Ranaweera, Eva (2006). Sedōnā. Nārāhēnpiṭa: Kāntā Hanḍa. ISBN 955-95726-5-2. OCLC 225337615.
  12. ↑ Ranaweera, Eva (1993). Eva Ranaweera's Attaka Mal Paravi Giya. J. Dianas. ISBN 978-955-95550-0-1.
  13. ↑ Ranaweera, Eva (1994). What Will You Do Do Do Clara what Will You Do?. Eva Ranaweera. ISBN 978-955-95726-0-2.
  14. ↑ Ranaweera, Eva (1997). With Maya. E. Ranaweera. ISBN 978-955-95726-1-9.
  15. ↑ Ranaweera, Eva (2001). Ending with the Beginning. Eva Ranaweera. ISBN 978-955-95726-3-3.
  16. ↑ Ranaweera, Eva (1991). Some Literary Women of Sri Lanka. Women's Education and Research Centre.
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