கனவுச்சிறை

We warmly invite you to a celebration of Devakanthan’s sweeping quintet ‘Prison of Dreams,’ (கனவுச்சிறை/Kanavuchirai) translated by Nedra Rodrigo.

The publication of the ‘Prison of Dreams’ quintet marks a historic moment in Canadian Tamil literature, as it is the first book length translations of a Tamil Canadian novelist published in Canada. The five books have been published in a beautiful edition by Mawenzi House, thanks to the visionary work of M. G. Vassanji and Nurjehan Aziz.

Beginning with the burning of the Jaffna Library, the ‘Prison of Dreams’ quintet describes the hard choices faced by the villagers of the micro-island of Nainativu as Tamils are subjected to pogroms and Draconian laws throughout Sri Lanka, and a struggle for a separate state emerges.

Forced to flee as a refugee himself, Devakanthan drew from personal experience and community stories for a realistic and deeply moving portrayal of the marginalization and trauma experienced by refugees; the shattering of tradition and kinship relationships; and the indomitable human spirit that prevails despite it all. 

Compared in scale to A. Sivanandan’s ‘When Memory Dies,’ ‘Kanavuchirai’ is told primarily through the character Raji, whose intelligence and compassion drive her to make choices that go in the face of the traditional life she was expected to lead. Peopled by extended families, religious figures, village gossips, activists, rebels and traffickers; bringing together the everyday and the extraordinarily heroic, this quintet is an archive of times and stories almost erased from history. 

Please register for this event at the link in bio.

Registration is free. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to The Tamil Community Centre project in Scarborough.