Kumara creates records with Enid Blyton

"I am quite a fast writer and when start I continue writing even forgetting my sleep," says Kumara Siriwardena who will set a record at the forthcoming Colombo International Book Fair with the release of his fifty books of translation, most probably the highest number of books released by a one writer in Sri Lanka.

Kumar makes this record not alone but with world famous writer Enid Blyton. 'Five O' Clock Tales', 'When the Moon was Blue and other stories', 'Sneezing Powder and other stories' and forty seven books translated and printed by Lionel Silva of Malpiyali publication is ready to send to the book stalls at BMICH next month.

Kumara is multitalented and a multifaceted character. Studied at Ananda College, he did well in his Advanced Level in science stream. Displaying a liking for journalism he shifted to the arts stream and repeated his A/Level in the arts till he obtained a Masters in Mass Communication from the University of Peradeniya. Parallel to his theoretical education on media, Kumara did not forget to master himself in practical journalism. Starting as a story writer for 'Kumari' a light hearted Sinhala magazine in 1980, he worked in other similar magazines and newspapers like 'Sarasi', 'Rejina' and 'Sathsara'.

In his career as a journalist, for three years from 1999 to 2002 he was the editor for 'Muthuhara', the Reader's Digest type magazine in Sinhala. This followed with his ending up as the Associates Editor of Sinhala national weekly ‘Irida Peramuna’. During his tenure at the light hearted magazines Kumara wrote a large number of novels without any hope of developing them to complete novels. But pushed and pressed by his peers he started printing them and to his surprise they became the quite a famous novelist.

‘I was forced to do translation by my former editor Bandula Padmakumara, who virtually pushed me to translation. I don't mind calling him my Guru’ he said. ‘My first translation of a novel was Sherlock Holmes's 'Students in Scarlet' published by Malpiyali publishers in 2002. This was the first step to make another translator to the country.

"On the invitation by Mr. Lionel Silva I first translated five books of Enid Blyton for the Colombo International Book Fair last year to find at the end of the exhibition that all 1000 prints of each five books were sold out," Kumara talking about his record in translation. Following this success he received the challenging target of 50 translation of Blyton for this year. And Kumara has done it.

In addition to being a translator Kumara is an award winning actor. Starting with the stage Siriwardena's affiliation to acting goes as far back to the year 1981 where he won the Best Actor at the Youth Drama Festival. This followed a large number of invitations to act but Kumara could accept a limited number. These include 'Raja Bawana', and 'Sandagala Tenna', Makarage Thanayama' 'Sapiriwara'. Kumara Siriwardena also famous for his screenplay writing. 'Sathsara Rangana' a story based on songs and 'Andara Weta'.

While completed 50 books Kumara also taken up the task of translating Jack Seheaser's "Shane". Describing his life Kumara told the TV Times "Now translation has become my life while acting my hobby,".