The Magic Silver Tree – where dreams are made possible

By Randima Attygalle

Sybil Wettasinghe’s identity in the Lankan cultural firmament is a cosmos of its own; a space that could never warrant substitutes. Sybil herself was a chronicle of history, her life intersecting with almost a century of changing socio-political and cultural milieu of the nation. Challenging the West-aping, servile mentality, the writer who defined the shape and form of Sri Lankan children’s literature for nearly 70 years, was bold enough to question, “why glorify apple trees and snow-capped mountains when we are part of a rich heritage.”

 In all her scores of much loved books including; Hoity the Fox, Weniyan kalu weniyan, Sooththara Puncha, Runaway Beard, Poddai-Poddi and Meti gedara lamai, the authentic Sri Lankan flavour had been her credo. In a digital era where aththamma’s kitchen is only an image from the past, ‘googled’ and found, her documentation of an era gone by is priceless. Moreover her work impels a generation living in a cultural vacuum, to revisit a value system fast eroding.

The iconic children’s story teller and illustrator whose work girdled the globe even before the internet age, was a prophetess in her own right as her name would translate in Greek mythology. At 92 when she breathed her last five years ago, with her silvery locks and the twinkle in the eye, she would put Goldilocks to shame. A child at heart, ‘Sybil nenda’ as she was lovingly called by several generations, was indeed a ‘Wonder Crystal.’

Inspired by folklore

Sybil nenda would have turned 97 yesterday (31 October). Her presence can be felt by all those who loved her through the first colour edition of ‘The Magic Silver Tree’ posthumously published locally by Adith Publishers, owned and managed by her youngest son Vinod Wettasinghe and his family. 

Inspired by a Lankan folk tale, the colour edition of the book was originally published in 2017 in Japan. It was the last of her books to be published in Japan with seven more before it, all of which were translated into Japanese by the well-known translator Kyoko Matsuko, who is also credited for the translation of The Magic Silver Tree. The Sinhala translation of it—Puduma Ridi Gaha is also now out. 

Spontaneous expression

Sybil Wettasinghe fans who had the good fortune of seeing her exhibition of illustrations at the Lionel Wendt, marking her 90th birthday seven years ago, would recollect seeing a set of illustrations from The Magic Silver Tree. The work was applauded by several art critics and scholars to be among her best. Sybil’s work has always been responsive to the content. Her illustrations have always been spontaneous. The symbolic motifs abundantly found in The Magic Silver Tree validate the illustrator’s acknowledgment that the story-line is mythical. The signature cat found in almost all Sybil’s stories is notably absent in The Magic Silver Tree—a fine tool she employed to differentiate real life from fantasy. 

“Amma’s work has never been the run of the mill kind. Her creative expression is a result of her engagement with the plot of any story. Her work has also been aligned with her interests at a given time. Her early illustrations for example are extremely detailed, then comes a time where her strokes are very bold and less detailed. Her work in her 70s again becomes more detailed in terms of the environment she captures in the story,” says Sybil’s youngest daughter Kusala Wettasinghe.

Best of both worlds

Despite her English-speaking convent education in Colombo, Sybil’s formative years in Gintota surrounded by village matriarchs and the antics of other villagers remained her enduring spring of inspiration. Her work reflected the best of both worlds she navigated. Her imagination was further fired by her mother’s and grandmother’s story-telling which enriched her books and illustrations. Among Sybil’s portfolio is a significant number of stories inspired by folklore, The Magic Silver Tree being the last to be added to the list. The illustrations Sybil did for Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne’s compilation of Indian Kannada folktales are also noteworthy. 

Sybil’s four children too were blessed to have enjoyed their achchiamma’s stories. “My maternal grandmother was a treasure trove of stories and amma remembered most of these narrated to her as a child. I particularly remember the elaborate stories of Muthu kumari and Menik Kumaraya. She used to tell us stories in instalments—ithuru tika heta, my grandmother used to say,” Kusala reminisces with a smile. 

A collector’s item

The Magic Silver Tree is more than a children’s book. The pulsating colours used by the illustrator, complemented by the hard cover render it a collector’s item—a perfect gift to be made to adorn a coffee table or to be added to a home library. “The whole production of the book qualifies it to be a collector’s item. Although the Japanese version is slightly different to amma’s original colours used in the book, my brother Vinod who is credited for bringing out this colour edition, assured that all original colours are used in the publication although it is a more costly process in terms of printing,” Kusala explains. She also recollects her mother doing several sets of illustrations until she was fully satisfied. “She did three sets of illustrations of the three princesses and went on asking her grandchildren and some of her closest friends for their take on the best. Such was her intense engagement with a story, how she strived to justice to each story line.”

Transcending age

The morale of the story too which is ‘forgiveness’ makes it universally relevant transcending age. Nevertheless, the beauty of Sybil’s stories lies in the fact that she never drilled lessons into a reader’s mind. Be it Kuda Hora, Podi achchige pulun, Kevun Yodaya or Hoity the Fox to name just a few, she simply allows the story to flow and for each reader to take-away what is relevant to him/her. “This came out of her respect for children, because she believed in telling a story and trusting them to extract a lesson on their own. Amma never consciously drilled lessons into her stories, on the contrary, she wanted readers to enjoy and experience each story,” reflects Kusala. 

The official launch of The Magic Silver Tree will take place on 24 and 25 November at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery. Sybil Wettasinghe enthusiasts can also look forward to the ‘Life and Work of Sybil Wettasinghe’ next year. 

The Magic Silver Tree is now available at Sarasavi outlets, Milk Bookshop (Horton Place) and online purchases can be made through Adith online book store where a concession can be availed.