W. A. Silva (16 January 1890 – 3 May 1957) was a best-selling author of
Sinhala literature. Wellawattearachchige Abraham Silva was born in
Wellawatte
Wellawatta is a neighbourhood of Colombo, Sri Lanka. It lies immediately south of Bambalapitiya and is classified as zone 6 within the Colombo Municipal region. The town begins at the old Dutch canal just before the Savoy Cinema and extends so ...
,
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
.
[W. A. Silva: Architect of the Sinhala novel, Daily News, Dahlan Salahudeen]
/ref> After receiving a formal Sinhala education, he wrote his first novel, "Siriyalatha", at the age of 16.
After studying Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
and Sinhala under Pelane Sri Vajiragnana Thero and reading world literature in his spare time while working as a clerk, Silva wrote Lakshmi, his second novel, in 1922.[ He continued to write popular novels and short story collections. Several of his novels include ''Kalae Handa'' (the first Sinhala novel to be made a movie) and ''Hingana Kolla'', which was also made into a movie.
Silva edited the ''Siri Sara'' (1919–1923) and ''Nuwana'' (1940–1946) magazines, as well as a weekly newspaper, ''Lanka Samaya'' (1933).Remembering W. A. Silva]
Padmadeva Jayakody, The Island After his death, High Street in Wellawatte was renamed W. A. Silva Mawatha in his honour.
His residence 'Silvermere' at No. 126, W A Silva Mawatha, Wellawatte has now been turned in to a museum containing artifacts of his time, hand written manuscripts, copies of novels, and other memorabilia.
Publications
* ''Siriyalatha'' (1907)
* ''Lakshmi'' (1922)
* ''Hingana Kolla'' (1923)
* ''Pasal Guruvari'' (1924)
* ''Deiyanne Rate'' (1926)
* ''Kele Handha'' (1933)
* ''Daivayogaya'' (1936)
* ''Sunethra'' (1936)
* ''Vijayaba Kollaya'' (1938)
* ''Radala Piliruwe''
* ''Handa pane''
* ''Julihatha''
* ''Ridihavadiya''
* ''Lensuva''
* ''Sakviti Raja''
* ''Amurtha Hasthaya''
* ''Dalakumar''
* ''Arabian Nights'' (translation)
* ''Maya Yogaya'' (play)
* ''Ramayanaya'' (translation)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, W A
1890 births
1957 deaths
Sri Lankan novelists
Sinhalese writers
20th-century novelists