Sri Lanka It's Happening

June 24, 2004

The first audio book from Sri Lanka, "the saadhu testament", using synthesized speech, will be launched on the 25th of this month. It is another first by the Sri Lankan author daya dissanayake, who is convinced that the future of literature is in the e-book and the audio-book. 'the saadhu testament' , published in 1998, created a record by being the first e-novel from Asia and 'vessan novu wedun' published in 2003, was the first Sinhala e-novel.

The audio book is scheduled to be released on the 25th of this month and the author says it will be available for free download. at http://www.saadhu.com/audio

daya dissanayake has published three more novels, 'kat bitha' a historical novel based on Sigiriya which won the State Literary Award for the Best English Novel 1998, 'the healer & the drug pusher', a historical novel based on the ancient healthcare system in Sri Lanka, and 'the bastard goddess', a novel which explores the possibility that the future Buddha could be a woman.