Dinesh Perera marks entrance to Sri Lankan literature with launch of ‘Poem Person’

Saturday, 21 January 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

On the evening of 17 January a beautiful, aged Nuga tree set the stage for the launch of Dinesh Perera’s first collection of poetry. The book, titled ‘Poem Person’, is Dinesh’s initial contribution to the collective of Sri Lankan literary works.

Dinesh, a writer whose unique style stems from his emotions, ideas, ideals, and personal experiences, began his professional career in banking and finance and didn’t find his true calling until he moved into the world of advertising.

He presently leads the digital arm of Bates Sri Lanka as its business head and creative director. His first poem was written during a time fraught with challenges and difficulties in his life, which in later years proved to be a medium which provided a therapeutic outlet to express his personal story and literary talents.

During this time, he fell deeply in love with the works of Asian and Sri Lankan authors, and has become an avid reader who savours the richness of the descriptions, detail and ambiance of their writing.

Drawn to these local voices, Dinesh found their work to be relatable, and they became a major inspiration for his own literary style, shaping its distinct character, its structure and its flow.

‘Poem Person’ marks a refreshing insight into a world textually woven with the intricate disaster and carnival that is life.

“Poem Person captures me in extremely personal moments at various points in my life, the early years in which I had just stumbled out of teen-hood to a long drawn-out period of aimless, disenchanted living, in which I got caught up in everything from politics, to rebellions, to religion and self destruction. It captures me in situations of soaring happiness and absolute and complete melancholia. All of the emotions, ideas, ideals and stories manifest in the verses of the pieces that I have published,” explains Dinesh.

The launch was attended by friends, colleagues and family, among them renowned Sri Lankan poets Vivimarie Vanderpooten and Sakuntala Sachithanandan, key individuals who encouraged and inspired Dinesh with the drive he needed to pursue his poetry. Poem Person can be purchased at Odel and Barefoot.