Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★★★ (4.7/5)
Genre: Memoir, Sri Lankan Literature, Non-Fiction, Classic

Book Review:
J. Vijayatunga's ''Grass for My Feet'' is a quiet masterpiece, a book that has been deservedly hailed as a classic of Sri Lankan literature. With its simplicity, warmth, and directness, it offers a poignant and deeply humane portrait of life in a remote village, capturing a world that has perhaps now faded into memory.

The book is a memoir, a recollection of the author's childhood and youth in a traditional community. But it is much more than that. It is a celebration of ordinary people, observed with sympathy and a keen eye for the richness of their characters. Vijayatunga introduces us to a cast of villagers—farmers, craftsmen, elders, children—each one drawn with affection and a touch of gentle humor. Through their stories, we experience the rhythms of village life: the seasons, the festivals, the work, the joys, and the sorrows.

The author's prose is deceptively simple, yet it carries a profound emotional weight. He has a gift for evoking the sights, sounds, and smells of his childhood world, making the reader feel as if they are walking alongside him on the grassy paths of his memory. The book is suffused with a gentle nostalgia, a longing for a time and place that is gone, but not forgotten.

The praise from The Observer and The Times Literary Supplement is well-deserved. One critic even compared the author to an ''eastern avatar of Mark Twain,'' and the comparison is apt. Like Twain, Vijayatunga has a sharp eye for human folly and a deep affection for the common man. ''Grass for My Feet'' is a book to be savored, a book that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. It is a true gem, a testament to the enduring power of memory and the beauty of simple, well-told stories.