Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.2/5)
Genre: Fiction / Adventure / Wildlife / Historical Fiction / Sri Lankan English Literature

Book Review:
Where the White Sambhur Roams by R. L. Spittel – a surgeon, descendant of Dutch pioneers, and a renowned student of the Vedda aborigines – tells the story of Hans van der Meer, a 14‑year‑old Dutch boy shipwrecked on Ceylon. His gift for befriending wild animals leads him into captivity at the Court of the King of Kandy. Set during the Dutch‑Portuguese struggle for supremacy, the novel features vivid descriptions of bird, animal, and aboriginal life under jungle law: an enraged mother bear, a trapped leopard, and a python‑crocodile battle. Based on Spittel's extensive personal jungle experiences. A classic of Sri Lankan adventure fiction. The story continues in Wild White Boy.