Overview
This extraordinary collection of poems by global human rights activist, author and jurist, Basil Fernando bears witness to one of the most harrowing clashes in South Asian history. Bringing an utterly human voice to Sri Lanka's decades-long civil war, Fernando evokes the imagery and testimony of a people and a land brutalized by a corrupt and immoral regime. Part reportage, part literary reflection, Pride and Pain in Difficult Times is a timely collection about Fernando's homeland and exile, and a stark reminder that the dismantling of an authoritarian power is possible only though the heroic resistance of individuals who refuse to accept a death sentence. In 2014 Basil Fernando was awarded the 'alternative Nobel Prize, ' Right Livelihood Award for, ""his tireless and outstanding work to support and document the implementation of human rights in Asia.""
Full Product Details
Author: Basil Fernando
Publisher: Belle Marquise Books
Imprint: Belle Marquise Books
Dimensions:
Width: 12.70cm
, Height: 0.40cm
, Length: 20.30cm
Weight: 0.086kg
ISBN: 9780692831977
ISBN 10: 0692831975
Pages: 72
Publication Date: 30 January 2017
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
"""An insightful and stirring collection of poems chronicling his experiences in the Sri Lankan civil war. Fernando's razor-sharp observations move from gentle lyricism one moment to brutal reality the next, providing an honest and intriguing look into one of South Asia's deadliest conflicts.""-- Bill Hoffmann, Author and Journalist"
An insightful and stirring collection of poems chronicling his experiences in the Sri Lankan civil war. Fernando's razor-sharp observations move from gentle lyricism one moment to brutal reality the next, providing an honest and intriguing look into one of Southeast Asia's deadliest conflicts. -- Bill Hoffmann, Author and Journalist
Author Information
Basil Fernando is a leading global human rights activist, jurist, author and poet. He is the recipient of the 2014 Right Livelihood Award, Kwangju Prize for Human Rights, is the author of Article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and has been a Senior Ashoka Fellow. Following a career as human rights, labour and criminal lawyer with the Sri Lankan Supreme Court, Fernando was inspired by the life and work of Indian statesman Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Danish philosopher N.F.S. Grundtvig to embark upon a lifelong crusade to defend human rights. With the outbreak of the Sri Lankan civil war, Fernando was further thrust into a pivotal role in addressing judicial breakdown across Asia. He has served as Appeals Counsel for Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong, which was sponsored by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and as Senior Human Rights Officer-In Charge of the Investigation Unit under the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). He was also Officer in Charge and Chief of the Legal Assistance at the Cambodia Office of the UN Center for Human Rights. He is currently Director of Policy and Programme Development at the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong, and Executive Director of Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC).
