Abstract:
Our attempt in presenting this piece of research is to critically analyze and discuss how
the expatriate Sri Lankan writers have attempted to portray Sri Lanka in the process of
developing a cannon of Sri Lankan English literature. There is no questioning about the
fact that the expatriate writers do have the right to draw upon the country of origin in
their search for artistic sustenance. As most of these expat writers come across as celebs
at “home” and outside, what they state in their work tend to carry weight with the
English literati. It is afact that works by expat writers tend to be governed by various
types of political agendas and is shaped by the need of international publishers. Their
work at times borders on the exotic and shows “home” as something riddled with
unresolvable conflicts. Hence it is up to the literary critics to carefully analyze and see
how “contextually fair” their work is. In this research what we have attempted to do is to
analyze one such expat writer’s work, namely Romesh Gunesekera’s Reefand critically
analyze how it has attempted to portray the situation of Sri Lanka as a novel by an expat
writer.
