Developing a Post-colonial Paradigm of Sri Lankan Expatriate Writing: Analysis of Romesh Guneskera’s Reef

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.