Selvadurai was born in colombo, sri lanka to a sinhalese mother and a tamil fathermembers of conflicting ethnic groups whose troubles form a major theme in his work. 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. In the culminating chapter of shyam selvadurais novel, funny boy, are all the necessary ingredients for a possible rescue fantasy. Funny boy by shyam selvadurai important themes helpful for exam english hons duration.
Funny boy shyam selvadurai ebook harpercollins publishers. The childs point of view offers a simple writing style and understanding of the novel, yet the reader is able to uncover complexities revolving around the novel. Take our free funny boy quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions that help you test your knowledge. Read funny boy by shyam selvadurai for free with a 30 day free trial. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. Thus, one can claim that selvadurai attempts to remember the past as it was without the interpolation of heterosexual. 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. Besides, the horrible ethnic violence between tamil and sinhalese in sri lanka was also highlighted.
Publication date 1997 topics young men fiction, gay men fiction, sri lanka fiction. Download the study guide funny boy is a gay young adult novel by shyam selvadurai which recounts the childhood and teenage years of arjie as he discovers he is gay while growing up in sri lanka in the late 1970s and early 1980s. You are not alone, it says to the reader i understand you. The portrayal of clashing cultural values in the novel. Shyam selvadurai is a novelist and writer for television. Funny boy, a novel by shyam selvadurai, tells us a story through the eyes of a growing tamil homosexual boy, arjie.
In addition, sri lanka is faced with many cultural problems. Jayawickrama points out that in funny boy, sexuality. He currently lives in toronto with his partner andrew champion selvadurai was born in colombo, sri lanka to a sinhalese mother and a tamil fathermembers of conflicting ethnic groups whose troubles form a. Born in sri lanka, selvadurai immigrated with his family to canada in 1983, following the outbreak of rioting in colombo sparked by the growing ethnic and political strife between the countrys majority buddhist sinhalese and minority hindu tamil population. His books have been published in the united states, united. Infunny boy, selvadurai manifests these constitutive bonds, which link.
The quality of the paper is ok, not so bad and not so good. Set in sri lanka where selvadurai grew up, funny boy is constructed in the form of six poignant stories about. Selvadurai, through the title, skillfully propels us to divert our minds from the actual notion of the boys character. Smith books in canada first novel award and the lambda literary award in the united states. This interest, which governs most of his childhood, leads him to discover and understand more serious aspects of his life, such as his. Born in 1965 in colombo, sri lanka, selvadurais mixed tamilsinhalese family emigrated to canada in 1983. The writer, in spite of dealing with a single aspect, has dealt with various aspects in the novel. While in canada, selvadurai came to terms with his homosexuality, and studied at. Funny boy by shyam selvadurai, 9780099459217, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Bending genre and gender in the best school of all.
Shyam selvadurai is a sri lankancanadian novelist who wrote funny boy 1994, which won the books in canada first novel award, and cinnamon gardens 1998. This study guide consists of approximately 33 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of funny boy. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Set in sri lanka, it is a haunting novel, told in six beautifully rendered stories, about a boy growing up within an extended uppermiddleclass tamil family in colombo, during the seven years leading up to the 1983 riots. Publishers synopsis mcclelland and stewart, 1994 funny boy is the remarkable literary debut of shyam selvadurai. Everything you need to understand or teach funny boy by shyam selvadurai. The second son of a privileged family in sri lanka, he prefers staging makebelieve wedding pageants with his female cousins to battling balls with the other boys.
Publication date 1996 topics young men fiction, gay men fiction, sri lanka fiction. With a free litcharts account, youll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. These opening chapters closely correspond with 1981, as evinced by the attack on the yal devi at anuradhapura station, in which arjies youngest aunt, radha, coincidentally travels. 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. An evocative comingofage novel about growing up gay in sri lanka during the. Arjies journey in shyam selvadurais funny boy growing up during a time of violent political upheaval in sri lanka, arjie travels an especially bittersweet journey into maturation in shyam selvadurais funny boy. Marriage as a predominant theme in shyam selvadurais funny boy. In the initial stories of shyam selvadurais funny boy, the narrating character, arjie, is obsessed by ideas of romance, love, and marriage. Sep, 2012 shyam selvadurai, the canada council writerinresidence for 2012 was born in colombo, sri lanka. Shyam selvadurai, the canada council writerinresidence for 2012 was born in colombo, sri lanka. Read funny boy online by shyam selvadurai books free 30day. Arjies journey in shyam selvadurais funny boy 123 help me.
Black july pogrom, which climaxes at the end of the novel the lauded free marketthat. Funny boy by shyam selvadurai overdrive rakuten overdrive. He has a talent for writing beautifully and searingly yet, he never fails to inject a little humourcomic relief to lighten up the mood. The novel funny boy is written by sri lankan novelist shyam selvadurai. Selvadurai, through the title, skillfully propels us to divert our minds from the actual notion of the boy s character. A marvelous first novel, about growing up gay in sri lanka, that displays a precociously assured command of structure, pace, and tone. An evocative comingofage novel about growing up gay in sri lanka during the tamilsinhalese conflictone of the countrys most turbulent and deadly periods. He currently lives in toronto with his partner andrew champion.
An extraordinarily powerful, deeply moving novel amitav ghoshin the world of his large family affluent tamils living in colombo arjie is an oddity, a funny boy who prefers dressing as a girl to playing cricket with his brother. This 54page guide for funny boy by shyam selvadurai includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 6 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Funny boy by shyam selvadurai is narrated as six tales arjies life. And we know for a fact there is no insanity in the family. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading funny boy.
Marriage as a predominant theme in shyam selvadurais funny boy amy small, english 365, northwestern university. Pdf in this essay, i read shyam selvadurais funny boy as a. Shyam selvadurairs funny boy analysis english literature essay. This interest, which governs most of his childhood, leads him to discover and understand. The influences of the west bring additional tension to preexisting problems. Shyam selvadurai funny boy and cinnamon gardens youtube. It is nice to see things in the world through the eyes of a small boy named arjie in the beginning of the novel. In shyam selvadurais funny boy, the child narrator draws readers into the characters and problems that we can recognize in any family. Shyam selvadurai, funny boy, 53 radha aunty about rajan nagendra, prospective groom for radha aunty what about his character. Thus, this article, by musing on selvadurais most acclaimed text funny boy 1994, attempts to examine how and why unhealthy texts are constructed.
You are not alone, it says to the reader, i understand you. I absolutely loved funny boy and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. I will be reading another book by shyam selvadurai soon, as i would like to find a book, which i can recommend that is set in sri lanka and has a homosexual protagonist. Read funny boy a novel by shyam selvadurai available from rakuten kobo. It slightly hides away the actual term which should have been associated to the boy. I read shyam selvadurais funny boy as a counterbildungsroman narrative that braids together radha auntys transgressions of. Selvadurai manages to touch a number of subject in each tale like the curious mind of our teenage protagonist arjie, the plight of the tamils in the communal riots of srilanka, the tension between the tamils and sinhalese etc. Newcomer shyam selvadurais first novel, funny boy, has established him as a talent deserving a place next to some more wellknown sri lankan expatriates. These voices are either colonized by heterosexual narratives or they are persecuted as something unnatural and insane. The adults in arjies extended family mostly belong to an older, more.
It follows the protagonist arjies growth from a boy of seven years into his late teens. Shyam selvadurais funny boy takes into account the 12 th, th and 14 th years of young arjun arjie chelvaratnams adolescence, whom we meet at the outset of the novel as a twelve or so year old. Canadian novelist shyam selvadurai has received numerous awards for his fiction. He is the author of cinnamon gardens and swimming in the monsoon sea, and the editor of an anthology, storywallah. Set against the backdrop of sri lankan social and cultural politics of the 1980s, the novel explores the barriers around love, marriage, gender expectations, and cultural tensions, specifically in the sinhala and tamil populations. He came to canada with his family at the age of nineteen, and has a bfa from york university in. Funny boy is the remarkable literary debut of shyam selvadurai. Funny boy by shyam selvadurai important themes helpful for exam english hons. Funny boy quiz shyam selvadurai this study guide consists of approximately 33 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of funny boy. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Breaking the narrative ties that bind in shyam selvadurai. A study of shyam selvadurais funny boy comes to gay voices. While studying novel we easily find the above elements.
The portrayal of clashing cultural values in the novel funny boy by syam selvadurai shyam selvadurai, the author of funny boy, felt the necessity to write about this issue because it is kept in the dark, especially in sri lanka. Marriage as a predominant theme in shyam selvadurai s funny boy amy small, english 365, northwestern university. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Arjie chelvaratnam is a tamil boy growing up in an extended family in colombo. This novel presents vivid sketches of family members and friends. Read unlimited books and audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. The novels author shyam selvadurai uses the term much more literarily and the turning points in. He gets exiled from the world of the girls and the free play of fantasy 3 which forces him into the. Shyam selvadurai has brought back from his sri lankan childhood a glittering and wise novel.
Funny boy ebook by shyam selvadurai 9780062383464 rakuten. Shyam selvadurais novel funny boy presents the coming of age of arjie, a young, gay, tamil boy in sri lanka. Secondly, it elaborates on the subtle literary strategies used by selvadurai to debunk preconceived notions of a heterosexual literary text. Arjie looks into the distance, his chin is on his folded arms. Leading questions for shyam selvadurai funny boy amy small, leena palamkunnel, alexis goldberg, english 365, northwestern university.