Author: R.L. Spittel & Christine Wilson
Publisher: Sooriya Publishers
Second Edition 2003
ISBN 978-955-8892-15-7
224 pages
This is a story of war and adventure in the old Ceylon.
Why “Brave Island”?
In the 16th century to which the story pertains, the word ‘brave’ had a wider significance than it now has, namely, “finely dressed, splendid, showy, grand, handsome”. The title is therefore apposite as it embodies both the natural splendor of Ceylon and the bravery of man which the tale enshrines.
The book is in two parts. The first deals with the heroic resistance of the Portuguese in the fortress of Colombo against the overwhelming besieging forces of the Hollanders. The second part has for its mise en scene the Gulf of Mannar during a pearl fishery with its disastrous sequel so realistically described.
The story recaptures entrancingly the ethos of a bygone day.
#RLSpittel #ChristineWilson #Ceylon #oldCeylon #fortressOfColombo #GulfOfMannar
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