Thursday Feb 05, 2026
Thursday Feb 05, 2026
Saturday, 24 January 2026 06:11 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
After nearly half a century away from the public literary eye, advertising veteran Keith Jayasekera, widely known as KayJay, steps forward with two striking works of fiction, ‘Gigolo’ and ‘Chameleon Silva.’
The dual book launch will take place on 30 January from 6:30 p.m. onwards at the Barefoot Gallery Café, Colombo.
A creative professional with over three and a half decades in advertising, Jayasekera’s storytelling instincts have long been present but intentionally restrained. Encouraged from childhood by parents who nurtured his love for writing and painting, particularly a mother who introduced him to stories before he could properly speak or walk, reading became second nature and storytelling an eventual inevitability. Yet these stories were never written for public consumption. Both ‘Gigolo’ and ‘Chameleon Silva’ were penned nearly 15 years ago and quietly shared only with a close circle of friends, colleagues, and family.
It was during his golden years that Jayasekera felt a renewed urge to publish, consciously shifting focus to keep his mind engaged, relevant, and current. Writing, for him, is a release—an unfiltered narration of the voices in his head, sometimes as a social commentator, often without concern for neat meanings or safe interpretations, and always with a willingness to risk being misunderstood.
‘Gigolo’ is a raw social satire—amassed friction driven by ammataudu (a vernacular verbal reflex denoting surprise) imagination running riot. Set against the volatile ethnic potpourri of a 1980s metropolis, it exposes a delicate social fabric through a no-holds-barred, keyhole peep into lives inspired by realities the author encountered over an assiduous, seesaw lifespan. The lost soul of Shane anchors the narrative, while exaggerated aggression and knee-jerk reactions remain firmly within the liberties of creative storytelling shaped by years spent in the second oldest profession.
‘Chameleon Silva’ takes readers on a fascinating tutti-frutti rollercoaster ride through life’s extremes, built on the premise that every family has its bad apple and that even rottenness can conceal lingering goodness. In a spellbinding, often conflicting narrative, Silva emerges as a cantankerous yet deeply relatable figure, guiding readers through his prodigious journey from hell to heavenly bliss with effortless charm, guile, and guts.
With these two unapologetically human works, Keith Jayasekera makes a late but powerful literary arrival—irreverent, reflective, and unfiltered. The launch promises an intimate evening of storytelling and candid conversation within the artistic setting of the Barefoot Gallery Café.
