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Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Genre: Cultural Studies / Essays / Sri Lankan Literature / Art Criticism

Book Review:
Fragments & Figments by Uditha Devapriya is a remarkable collection of cultural essays that invites readers on a journey through Sri Lanka's rich and often underexplored artistic landscape. Devapriya, a journalist known for his incisive cultural commentary, brings together writings on cinema, literature, theatre, music, and visual art, offering fresh perspectives on familiar subjects and introducing readers to lesser-known corners of Sri Lankan creativity.

The book's title is apt. These essays are indeed ''fragments''—snapshots of moments, movements, and individuals—that together form a larger ''figment'' of the cultural imagination. Devapriya does not attempt a comprehensive survey but rather probes specific subjects with depth and insight. His essays on Sri Lankan cinema are particularly noteworthy, tracing the evolution of film from its early days to contemporary experiments. His reflections on literature and theatre reveal a critic who reads closely and thinks deeply.

What makes this collection distinctive is its sense of urgency. In his foreword, Malinda Seneviratne notes that Devapriya writes not from the comfortable distance of retirement but from the midst of a busy journalistic career. The essays feel immediate, engaged, and alive. Devapriya is not simply chronicling the past; he is participating in the ongoing cultural conversation, advocating for stories that deserve attention and artists who merit recognition.

For anyone interested in Sri Lankan culture—whether scholar, student, or curious reader—Fragments & Figments offers a rewarding journey. It is a book that opens windows onto a vibrant cultural world and invites us to look more closely at what we might otherwise overlook.