Martin Wickramasinghe’s novel Madol Doova has been read, re-read and loved by generations of Sri Lankans in its original Sinhala as well as in Tamil and English translations. During the half a century since it was first published in 1947, over a million copies have been printed. it has been translated into Chinese, Russian, Dutch, Rumanian, Czech Bulgarian and Japanese languages and published in these respective countries.
‘ The courage and determination that give Upali and Jinna heroic stature in the eyes of the reader, is a product of their unyielding physical and mental strength. their intelligence confronts and overcomes the handicap of a deficient education. Upali is a hero who overflows with an extraordinary human vitality.’
