You are not alone, it says to the reader, i understand you. Read funny boy a novel by shyam selvadurai available from rakuten kobo. A celebration of south asian fiction by shyam selvadurai and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Free download philosophy book funny boy by shyam selvadurai. While in canada, selvadurai came to terms with his homosexuality, and studied at. Boy, his first novel, was published to immediate acclaim in 1994, was a national bestseller, and won the w. Jul 14, 2015 shyam selvadurai was born in colombo, sri lanka. Funny boy, his first novel, was published to immediate acclaim in 1994, was a national bestseller, and won the w. Born in 1965 in colombo, sri lanka, selvadurais mixed tamilsinhalese family emigrated to canada in 1983. Shyam selvadurai was born in colombo, sri lanka and came to canada with his family at the age of nineteen. I absolutely loved funny boy and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Shyam selvadurai author shyam selvadurai was born in 1965 in colombo, sri lanka.
The second son of a privileged family in sri lanka, he prefers staging makebelieve wedding pageants with. Funny boy is a comingofage novel by canadian author shyam selvadurai. Selvadurai has written for the canadian television shows many voices and inside voices and contributed to several journals and anthologies. Funny boy by shyam selvadurai penguin books australia. First published in 1994, funny boy by shyam selvadurai won critical acclaim for its portrayal of a young mans coming of age as a gay sri lankan during the civil war crisis. Join to find the hottest teen books, connect with your favorite ya authors and meet new friends who share your reading interests. Refreshing, raw, and poignant, funny boy is an exquisitely written. You are not alone, it says to the reader i understand you. Shyam selvadurai has brought back from his sri lankan childhood a glittering and wise novel.
An evocative comingofage novel about growing up gay in sri lanka during the tamilsinhalese conflictone of the countrys most turbulent and deadly periods. Beyond shyam selvadurai s three other novels cinnamon garden, swimming in the monsoon sea, and the hungry ghosts, other prominent works of south asian lgbt literature include the volume of gay fiction yaraana 1999, edited by hoshang merchant. Shyam selvadurai is currently considered a single author. Publication date 1997 topics young men fiction, gay men fiction, sri lanka fiction. He has studied creative writing and theatre, and has a b.
Set in sri lanka where selvadurai grew up, funny boy is constructed in the form of six poignant stories about. An evocative comingofage novel about growing up gay in sri lanka during the tamilsinhalese conflictone of the countrys most turbulent and deadly per. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the. He has a talent for writing beautifully and searingly yet, he never fails to inject a little humourcomic relief to lighten up the mood.
Read unlimited books and audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android. Read funny boy by shyam selvadurai for free with a 30 day free trial. Funny boy study guide from litcharts the creators of. Funny boy by shyam selvadurai download pdf bkxusfumnarpr. William morrow paperbacks 0 17 0 summary an evocative comingofage novel about growing up gay in sri lanka during the tamilsinhalese conflictone of the countrys most turbulent and deadly periods. Selvadurais first novel, funny boy, was nominated for the giller prize and received the w. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Read funny boy by shyam selvadurai available from rakuten kobo.
From the sinhala and tamil writers of the 1950s to diasporic writers of today, from stories of love and longing to those of brutality and death, this masterfully constructed anthology will give you a rich sense sri lankas history, its people and the stories they have to tell. Wed love you to buy this book, and hope you find this page convenient in locating a place of purchase. He is the author of cinnamon gardens and swimming in the monsoon sea, and the editor of an anthology, storywallah. Free download philosophy book funny boy by shyam selvadurai posted by. Publication date 1996 topics young men fiction, gay men fiction, sri lanka fiction. Shyam selvadurai was born in 1965 in colombo, sri lanka. Smith books in canada first novel award, as well as a lambda literary award for best work of gay fiction, and announced selvadurai as a major new voice in canadian, postcolonial, and gay literature. Arjie chelvaratnam is a tamil boy growing up in an extended family in colombo. Funny boy study guide from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Buy funny boy by shyam selvadurai from amazons fiction books store. The amnesty international book club is pleased to announce our julyaugust title funny boy by shyam selvadurai.
Shyam selvadurai born 12 february 1965 is a sri lankan canadian novelist who wrote funny boy 1994, which won the books in canada first novel award, and. A quiet masterpiece gay timesin the world of his large family affluent tamils living in colombo, sri lanka arjie is an oddity, a funny boy who prefers dressing as a girl to playing cricket with his brother. Funny boy by shyam selvadurai overdrive rakuten overdrive. Funny boy is set in the 1970s and early 1980s, during the leadup to the sri lankan civil war that was still raging at the time of the book s publication. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published.
Funny boy is an exquisitely written, compassionate tale of a boys comingofage that quietly confounds expectations of love, family, and country as it delivers the powerful message of. This war, an ethnic conflict between sri lankas sinhalese majority and tamil minority, is impossible to understand without grasping the historical antecedents that turned ethnicity into the basis for political identity. In this remarkable debut novel, a boys bittersweet passage to maturity and sexual awakening is set against escalating p. An evocative comingofage novel about growing up gay in sri lanka during the tamilsinhalese conflictone of the countr. A marvelous first novel, about growing up gay in sri lanka, that displays a precociously assured command of structure, pace, and tone. It won a lambda literary award and the books in canada first novel award and tackles navigating sexuality, class partisanship, and emigration.
He left sri lanka after the 1983 riots in colombo and settled with his family in canada. Selvadurai was born in colombo, sri lanka to a sinhalese mother and a tamil fathermembers of conflicting ethnic groups whose troubles form a major. The first chapter of funny boy appeared in that anthology as pigs can fly. Smith books in canada first novel award and the lambda literary award in the united states. Read funny boy online by shyam selvadurai books free 30day. An evocative comingofage novel about growing up gay in sri lanka during the. Funny boy keeps repeating with quiet conviction that the human condition can, in spite of everything, be joyful. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Dec 04, 2012 shyam selvadurai was born in colombo, sri lanka and came to canada with his family at the age of nineteen. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Refreshing, raw, and poignant, funny boy is an exquisitely written, compassionate tale of a boys comingofage that quietly confounds expectations of love, family, and country as it delivers the powerful message of staying true to ones self no matter the obstacles. Discover other books like this, author exclusives, and more. This title has been recommended by guest reader christopher diraddo, with whom you will explore the novel and read beyond the book to learn more about lgbti issues that amnesty works hard to bring to light. First published by mcclelland and stewart in september 1994, the novel won the lambda literary award for gay male fiction and the books in canada first novel award set in sri lanka where selvadurai grew up, funny boy is constructed in the form of six poignant stories about a boy coming to age within a wealthy tamil family.
Funny boy, selvadurais first novel, was published in 1994 to immediate international acclaim. He is the author of cinnamon gardens and swimming in the monsoon. I was led to shyam selvadurai s book via the collection of south asian fiction he edited, called. He came to canada with his family at the age of nineteen. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading funny boy. Shyam selvadurai primary author only author division. Swimming in the monsoon sea by shyam selvadurai books on. Vivek shrayas she of the mountains 2014, which integrates. Shyam selvadurai born 12 february 1965 is a sri lankan canadian novelist who wrote funny boy 1994, which won the books in canada first novel award, and cinnamon gardens 1998. Smith books in canada first novel award and, in the u. Migration entails multiple levels of exiles in sri lankan canadian author shyam selvadurais novel funny boy 1994 that render the protagonist arjie as an epitome of the multiply exiled. It was towards the end of story wallah, and i fell in love with the voice and the story so much that i did not want it to end, so i looked in the back of the. Nz booksellers are currently unable to ship physical books but you can still get ebooks and audiobooks. Newcomer shyam selvadurais first novel, funny boy, has established him as a talent deserving a place next to some more wellknown sri lankan expatriates.