Narrative
අමාවතුර
Not translated into English
Gurulugomi · 1200
Synopsis
The book traces the life of the Buddha, from the prince Siddhartha, through a series of tales that show him facing the most recalcitrant beings: proud, violent, undisciplined, among them the brigand Angulimala. Each episode is an occasion to show how the Master's word acts on those whom no force seemed able to subdue.
Context
The book is dated to the twelfth century, sometimes to the thirteenth. Its title means “flood of nectar”. The author writes an almost pure Sinhalese in it, reducing borrowings from Sanskrit and Pali to a minimum, in a simple language that is compared to the style of Pali texts, whereas his other work is steeped in Sanskrit. M. Sri Rammandala compared the language of the two books in a thesis defended in London in 1954.
Who it is for
A classical prose work in Old Sinhala, with no French or English translation, which requires knowing the language of the time.
Prizes and reception
Regarded by many readers on the island as the greatest work of prose ever written in Sinhala.
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