“A long beautiful dream”

“My life has been a long beautiful dream, a medley of fantasies and realities and enchantingly magical wonders…so it seems to me.” 

These are words by the renowned children’s book author/illustrator Sybil Wettasinghe who steps into her 90th year in three days – on Tuesday, 31 October. She tells these words to her biographer, Vijita Fernando who uses them to end the book, ‘The Story of Sybil Wettasinghe’. 

She is still busy at the desk drawing or writing. The stories she has created from ‘Kuda Hora’ onwards are countless. Apart from the books she has published, she wrote or drew, she has contributed regularly to newspapers and journals.

To thousands of children she is Sybil nanda or Auntie Sybil. They have read her books. They have listened to her stories. They have watched her draw. They have drawn with her. She is their friend.

Her stories are being enjoyed by children of several countries with Japan giving the lead in translating her books.

‘Lovable Aththamma’ is the title I chose for a book I wrote on her artistic career to mark her 87th birthday. 

I quote from the Author’s Note in the book:

I have known Sybil for at least six decades – a long time indeed. We were colleagues at Lake House from mid-1950s through the sixties. 

When I moved over to the ‘Observer’ from the ‘Dinamina’ in the mid-1960s I used to spot her walking briskly to the library on “a treasure hunt” every day. The Lake House library had such a wonderful collection – books, newspapers, journals, heaps of press cuttings arranged subject-wise in folders (Google searches were not even dreamt of then) and photographs. In addition, all the daily newspapers were available every morning neatly filed. It was a routine for news reporters, feature writers, cartoonists and artists to glance through them to get an idea of the latest happenings, pick a story or a feature for follow up or to check what we had missed.

Both of us were in the organising committee of the Sarasaviya Film Festival in 1968. Sybil was in charge of décor at the Ladies College auditorium where the festival was held under the patronage of Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake. The programme note cover designed by Sybil and the décor were highly appreciated. She gave a totally fresh look to the Festival that year. 

Even after I left Lake House by the end of the sixties, we continued to be family friends. Having finished a busy career in the private sector I had a stint with Upali Newspapers in the late 1980s. Sybil was there editing ‘Bindu’ – a much popular children’s paper.

I started writing a column on the arts – ‘Kala Korner’ in the Sunday Times in the late 1990s.  By then Sybil had become an international ‘star’. She was being recognised as a highly talented writer and illustrator of children’s books. Her books were being translated into several languages mainly Japanese. She was constantly in the news. Either she wins an award at an international book event. Or she launches a new book or holds an exhibition. If not she participates at numerous children’s gatherings on invitation. I had “good copy” for my column. These form the bulk of this booklet.

The winning of the ‘Nikkei Asia Prize 2012’ for Culture was a significant milestone in Sybil’s long career. A Sri Lankan has won this coveted award for the first time. She herself values this award more than most of the others she has received.

She has won many more accolades both locally and internationally. Her drawings continue to be admired by children and adults alike. They are so unique and fresh. 

 To celebrate her 90th birthday an exhibition of her latest creations is being held at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery next week.

May she gain more strength to continue her creative efforts.

Chirang Jayatu!