A person’s bookshelf tells a story - of interests, inspirations, and ideas that have shaped them. In Pages & Perspectives, we ask people to share what they’re reading, their all-time favourite books, and the ones that have left a lasting impact. This week, artist Anoma Wijewardene takes our Q&A. 

How would you describe your reading taste in three words?
Eclectic. International. Prose. Poetry. Sorry, I needed four words!

What book has had the biggest impact on your life and why?
At different times in my life, different books have left a profound impact on me, making it difficult to settle on a single answer. The works of Russian writers, from Tolstoy to Solzhenitsyn, played a significant role in my youth. It seemed an unimaginable reality to a teenager in Colombo and it took me to other worlds.

Later on, I loved Shakespeare’s King Lear and Hamlet, possibly for the deep exploration of familial relationships. I also liked the Romantic poets as they turned to nature to soothe their souls as industrialisation took over the world. 

In my twenties, Nadine Gordimer, Günter Grass, and Saul Bellow’s works all spoke to me of the human condition. Much later, Salman Rushdie and Rainer Maria Rilke, Truman Capote, Cormac McCarthy and Murakami. It is impossible to name one book.

What are you currently reading?
Sally Rooney, Amanda Gorman and Michael Oondatjee again. 

Is there a book you recommend to everyone?
Brotherless Night and Catcher in the Rye… sorry, that’s two!!

Do you prefer physical books, e-books, or audiobooks? Why?
I have never listened to an audiobook, but perhaps I should try it while painting. E-books are useful since we can’t often get the books we see reviewed but nothing beats the joy and comfort of a physical book. It’s like a close friend.

Do you have a favourite genre or author?
I love poetry and Rilke is my favourite. Poetry is vital to my art process as is music, and I have collaborated with two poets for my work - Ramya Chamalie Jirasinghe and Romesh Gunesekera who is, I suppose, primarily an author.

My favourite poem is Duino Elegies. It is simply sublime and at each reading - fresh, and through the years, they give more and more. I guess I will never quite get it, but will never stop reading them either.

What’s a book you disliked but couldn’t stop thinking about?
I can’t think of a book I have hated, but I found A Little Life by Hania Yanagihara very hard and painful, deeply depressing even, but utterly beautiful and compelling.

If your life were a book, what would its title be?
Seeking and Trying.

Where do you usually read—bed, café, park, beach?
Bed.

Any underrated books or hidden gems you'd recommend?
Yellow Face - not that it is underrated. It examines our culture of greed and envy, and celebrity and longing.