Sunday Times 2
Political memoir by Lankan- American author
View(s):A new political memoir, “Officers’ Mess,” recounts author Sandra Nunez’s experiences as a young girl during a turbulent chapter of Sri Lanka’s history. Set against the backdrop of the attempted coup d’état in 1962, it delves into the social and political events that shaped the lives of her family.
Donald L Horowitz, author of Coup Theories and Officers’ Motives: Sri Lanka in Comparative Perspective (Princeton, 1980) says it is: “….An absolutely riveting tale about events that took place in her homeland decades ago, events that shook her extended family to its very foundations/ It is a true and profound story, beautifully told by a writer with a light and winning touch.”
When the author was 10 years old, her father and uncle, both majors in the Ceylon Army, were imprisoned and tried for conspiring to overthrow the nationalist government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the world’s first female prime minister.
This memoir focuses on a critical moment in history – a time that might have changed the course of the nation had the coup succeeded. It offers international readers a unique perspective on post-colonial conflicts and their far-reaching impact on families.
Exploring her family’s Burgher (descendants of the British, Dutch, and Portuguese) history and culture, she sheds light on a lesser-known chapter of Sri Lanka’s history, providing a new dimension to the literature on the island’s complex past.
Sandra was born in Sri Lanka and lived there until she came to the US on a theater scholarship. She received her BA from Hollins College in Virginia, an MA in English from Columbia University and her Juris Doctor degree from St John’s University in New York.
After she wrote her first book on the legal rights of minors, she practiced international custody law in New York. Her second book, “Officers’ Mess” follows her family’s life through three decades, reflecting on events leading up to the three-year imprisonment and trial of her father and uncle for treason.
