By Ozlanka Webmaster
Sri Lankan expatriate Christine Hand have recently (in 2022) published a book From Colonial Ceylon to Down Under – a collection of short stories by Ginninderra Press, Adelaide Australia. Many of the stories are memoir pieces of experiences and associations encountered during her travels.
‘In the tradition of O. Henry but with a modern multicultural perspective, Ms. Hand writes with authenticity and empathy about the lives of ordinary people who, we see through her eyes, are anything but ordinary. We meet gossips and lovers, lonely hearts and cads, deep thinkers and daydreamers, fruit sellers and businessmen, students and soldiers, and a host of other characters whose unexceptional lives take unexpected turns. Ms Hand’s writing reflects a delicious balance of thoughtful curiosity, healthy scepticism, and the kind of wholesome voyeurism we all have but are reluctant to confess. These stories are full of fun. And after reading a few of them, the next time you find yourself standing next to a stranger you won’t be able to resist thinking “Hum, I wonder what he’s all about…”’ – Harriet Milks, Senior Assistant Attorney General, State of Alaska
‘Stories of love, naivety, larrikinism are set in countries of very different cultural backgrounds. Clever plots [are] full of suspense with unexpected endings. Characters have ventures that do not go to plan. Pursuing love for some seems futile. Others create problems for themselves.’ – Kath Harrison, writer/philosopher
978 1 76109 446 0, $27.50 (incl. GST) plus postage
Ginninderra Press
PO Box 3461 Port Adelaide SA 5015
To order, please go to www.ginninderrapress.com.au
or to your preferred online bookseller
Author Biography:
“In the tradition of O. Henry but with a modern multi-cultural perspective, Ms. Hand writes with authenticity and empathy about the lives of ordinary people who, we see through her eyes, are anything but ordinary. We meet gossips and lovers, lonely-hearts and cads, deep thinkers and daydreamers, fruit sellers and businessmen, students and soldiers, and a host of other characters whose unexceptional lives take unexpected turns. Ms. Hand’s writing reflects a delicious balance of thoughtful curiosity, healthy scepticism, and the kind of wholesome voyeurism we all have but are reluctant to confess. These stories are full of fun. And after reading a few of them, the next time you find yourself standing next to a stranger you won’t be able to resist thinking “Hum, I wonder what he’s all about . . . .”
Christine was born in Colombo and educated first at Good Shepherd Convent and then at Bishops College. She has travelled and worked in many overseas locations. It provides her with a wealth of knowledge about cultural differences, the focal point in many of her stories. She likes to see the funny side of things.
