Mr. DENAGAMA SIRIWARDENA ON HIS WAY......!

BIOGRAPGHY IN BRIEF...!!!

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Mr. Siriwardena was born in 1945 in Wepathira - Hakmana(Sothern province - Sri Lanka). It was 19th February. His father was Don Nikulas Jinadasa.Mother was Karunawathi Hettiarachchi.

Denagama Siriwardena started his school career from Pananwela government school. There he studied upto year eight. Then he joined Hakmana Methodist college.

Mr. Siriwardena at his room - Matara house.

After finshing the school life, Mr. Denagama started his life career as a Bill clerk at a co-operative shop

After that he started teaching in a non-governmental school at Pottewela and became a teacher in the year 1964.

From 1967-68 he was trained as a teacher at the Teachers' Trainning college - Balapitiya.

As a teacher in his life career he taught in 23 schools in 23 years.Ampara, Colombo, Matara, Hambantota, Galle were some of the districts where he worked. This helped him to gain more experiences about various life styles which exist on the earth. Most of the people he met were poors. They had a daily struggle.It was to find food for their children. So from these kind of experiences Mr.Siriwardena became sensitive to the heart beats of poors.

In 1975 Mr.Siriwardena married with Miss. Kusum Kodithuwakku.Then they went to live in Hambantota.

Year 1976 was a milestone in his life where he published his first book. It was "Ane Mage Nadu Asanu", a poetry. Even before this Mr. Siriwardena had written so many Poems, Short Stories and Articles for Sinhalese News Papers.

At the same year he bacame a father. It was a daughter and that was his first child. She was Deepani Siriwardena.

In 1979 he got another child. That was a boy and he was Prabath Siriwardena.

In 1980 he partcipated in the famous July Strike as a school teacher.He was a district Unoin leader of Ceylon Teachers' Union. There he lost his job.

After being unemployed he started selling paddy in Sunday fairs. There his students helped him a lot. Mr. Siriwardena had to under go so many hardships as a merchant. Later all his experiences as a merchant came out as a youth novel. It was Gurupadhuru and it won the State Youth Literature award in 1995.

In 1982 he got his job back and also became a feature writer for Divaina sunday news paper. He wrote so many novels and feature articles for Divaina. "Ekthara Police Niladariyekuge Kathawak" and "Ayoma" became very famous among them.

In 1985 the whole Siriwardena family shifted to Matara, from Hambantota. There they settled down in Uyanawatta(1km far from Matara town).

In 1987 he resigned from his job, teaching, and in 1988 Mr. Siriwardena joned Vidusara science magazine as a Sub editor.Then he became the deputy editor of Vathmana magazine.

In 1994 Mr. Siriwardena won the IBBY award for his youth novel Mithuro.

In 1995 he resigned from both Vathmana and Vidusara. Then joned Lake House as the deputy editor of Mahaweli Diyawara.

After that he became the deputy editor of Silumina news paper.Since then he is working there upto now.

In 1998 Mr.Siriwardena won his second State Youth Literature award. It was for his fifth youth novel Punchi Gopalla.

Upto now Mr. Siriwardena has written two poetries, two short stories, six novels, six youth novels, four biographies, two children's stories and more than fifty "Bosath Katha"s.



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