The Alliance Française de Kandy held their 3rd annual ‘Lire en Fête’ (Literary Festival) from October 12-14 with a series of events to celebrate both Francophone and Sri Lankan literature, ranging from creative writing and comic strip workshops to a Literary Brunch. The Literary Chat with authors Ashok Ferrey and Yudhanjaya Wijeratne was keenly awaited, and the typically rainy Kandy evening on Saturday meant that the small number of keen literati that braved the gloom to visit the AFK were rewarded with a cosy sitting room ambience that was unexpected as it was stimulating.
The evening was a study in contrasts: the acclaimed, multi-published and technologically (computer)-challenged author of contemporary Sri Lankan fiction and the self-taught emerging Sci-fi writer and tech-geek. But there was sufficient commonality between them: a love of short stories as the ‘purest of literary art forms’; a whimsical approach to life and its living despite the two authors’ different generations and genres; and a refreshing ability to laugh at themselves and their foibles.
Read more of the article here: https://www.sundaytimes.lk/181021/magazine/lively-literary-chat-brightens-up-a-rainy-kandy-evening-316384.html