The Great Conundrum: The Ceylon Press History of Sri Lanka Book 1

Sri Lanka and the Magic SpellLittle about Sri Lanka is straightforward, despite or because of its size and beauty.

Confronting it for the first time is like first encountering Rubik's Cube, that infamous multi coloured rotating brick toy whose painted ends appear so easy to organise into blocks. The outcome, though satisfying, and apparently almost effortless, remains virtually impossible to achieve.

It is a parallel it shares with Sri Lanka. Just below the surface of almost everything on the island, and simmering with delight, richness, chaos, reward, or just plain thwarting befuddlement, lies the innate complexity of what is quite possibly the most byzantine and bewitching country in the world. The more you see, the more you wonder - why?

In The Great Conundrum, book one in The Ceylon Press History of Sri Lanka, take a reckless tour of the island's two and a half thousand history to see some of the many reasons behind Sri Lanka's unrivalled distinctness.

The Ceylon Press Pocket Professor History of Sri Lanka is made up of 100 very short books, or talks, which explore the great themes of Sri Lankan history, alongside its day-to-day story down the centuries.

It can also be enjoyed as a Podcast at theceylonpress.com.