acknowledgments I wish to acknowledge the support of the individuals and institutions that helped me to complete this project. At Wesleyan University my adviser Mark Slobin at- tentively guided this project from its inception, constructively criticized my writ- ing, and helped me clarify my thoughts. B. Balasubrahmaniyan and David Nelson mentored me from my first day as a graduate student. Andrew Colwell, Sarah-Jane Ripa, Amanda Scherbenske, Pete Steele, and Shoko Yamamuro put smiles on my face. Aaron Paige, my brother in a previous life, supported me in a myriad of ways for which I can never repay. Krishna Winston painstakingly edited my fellowship proposals. When I was bringing this project to a close, she again offered dynamic emendations and suggestions. I thank the U.S. Department of Education for granting me a Fulbright-Hays award. The award enabled me to complete two unforgettable years of research in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka Sandagomi Coperahewa engaged me in lively discus- sion, shared hard-to-locate resources, and provided opportunities to present my research at the University of Colombo at a Sinhala Studies Seminar and a seminar for the Centre for Contemporary Indian Studies. At the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies, Ira Unamboowe, Deepthi Guneratne, M. de. S. Weerasooriya, and Lorette Weeraratna assisted me in my research and shared in much amusement. The Ranasinghes were sources of great hospitality, warmth, and friendship. Also in Sri Lanka, Praneeth Abeysundara, Ranjana Amaradeva, W. D. Amaradeva, Sunil Ariyaratne, Dhammika Dissanayake, Mudiyanse Dissanayake, Ranjit Pranandu, Nishoka Sanduruwan, and Ratnasri Wijesinghe patiently an- swered my questions. Ivor Dennis explained Sinhala verses and shared rare docu- ments pertaining to Sunil Santha’s life and works. Udaya Manawasinghe spoke ix x acknowledgments with me about his father and generously granted permission to feature a photo- graph and song text of Chandrarathna Manawasinghe. I am grateful to my friends at the digital and gramophone archives of the Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corpo- ration (SLBC): Chandradasa, Chandrika Vitharana, and Sanath Mendis shared music from rare gramophone recordings, helped me translate Sinhala song texts, and provided copies of SLBC music programs. Chinthaka Ranasinghe offered his intellectual input on many of the poets discussed in this book. Thank you, Li- yanage Amarakirti, for your gracious hospitality and intellectual support. Suresh Mantilake and Utpala Herath provided an opportunity to present my research at the University of Peradeniya. I owe a debt of gratitude to the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies for granting two language-instruction fellowships to study the Sinhala language. Chandini Tilakaratna guided me through the basics. Uchita Ranasinghe read Sin- hala novels with me and helped improve my speaking abilities. Nirmalini Raj- apaksa explained difficult sources and aided my attempts to translate poetry and write in Sinhala. I wish to thank my colleagues at Ohio University in the School of Interdis- ciplinary Arts and School of Music. They provided the ideal environment in which to complete this project. Charles Buchanan, Christopher Hayes, Vladimir Marchenkov, Richard Wetzel, and William Condee welcomed me into the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and School of Music, stimulated my thinking, provided avenues to present my research, and challenged me to grow as a scholar and educa- tor. Nicole Reynolds explained to me key issues pertaining to romanticism. Gary Ginther provided assistance to prepare the manuscript’s figures and musical ex- amples for publication. I would also like to thank the following individuals for their assistance: At deci- sive moments Victor Lieberman offered insightful suggestions, revisions, and advice. Wimal Dissanayake, Jeanne Marecek, and Susanne Mrozik edited chapters-in-progress and made important suggestions. Ramnarayan Rawat encouraged me to follow my in- tuition. Justin Henry recommended useful sources and shared with me his knowledge of Sanskrit and Pali. David Dennen informed me about important secondary sources. Ranga Kalugampitiya located a hard-to-find document that was crucial. Hemamali and Siri Gunasinghe answered many translation questions, helped me to understand Siri Gunasinghe’s poetry and inspiration, and gave permission to use the photograph of Siri Gunasinghe on the book cover. I cannot forget the generosity of H. L. Seneviratne, who painstakingly read the entire manuscript, sug- gested how to improve the translations, and corrected errors in typography, trans- literation, and translation. Lanka Santha made important revisions and granted permission to use the figures pertaining to Sunil Santha. Ravinda Mahagamasekera offered constructive feedback that shed new light on his father’s oeuvre.Richard Wolf gave suggestions that strengthened the introduction. acknowledgments xi I thank the publishers that allowed me to rework information in my own arti- cles for this book. Earlier versions of sections were published in 2012 in volume 38, issue 1–2, of the Sri Lanka Journal of the Humanities—published by the University of Peradeniya—in the article “Commonalities of Creative Resistance: Regional Nationalism in Rapiyel Tennakoon’s Bat Language and Sunil Santha’s ‘Song for the Mother Tongue’”; in 2014 in volume 73, issue 4, of the Journal of Asian Studies — published by Cambridge University Press—in the article “Music for Inner Do- mains: Sinhala Song and the Arya and Hela Schools of Cultural Nationalism in Colonial Sri Lanka”; in 2015 in volume 4, issue 1, of the South Asianist—published by the Centre for South Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh—in the ar- ticle “Veiling the Modular: Literary Language and Subjective Nationalism in Sin- hala Radio Song of Sri Lanka, 1957–1964”; and in 2016 in volume 39, issue 2, of South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies—published by Routledge for the South Asian Studies Association of Australia at Monash University—in the article “Mod- ern Contours: Sinhala Poetry in Sri Lanka, 1913–1956.” I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the University of California Press and the South Asia across the Disciplines book series for their willingness to publish my manuscript. Thank you, Gauri Viswanthan, coeditor of South Asia across the Disciplines, and Reed Malcom, acquisition editor at the University of California Press, for supporting this project. Gauri Viswanathan, Amanda Weidman, and the anonymous reviewers provided invaluable feedback. Zuha Khan, editorial assis- tant at UC Press, helped prepare the manuscript for production. Rachel Berchten, project editor, guided the manuscript through production. Susan Silver meticu- lously copyedited the manuscript. I could never have completed this project without my family’s immeasurable encouragement and support. My mother, Ellyce, inspires me to be creative, and she stimulates my thinking about the arts. My father, Stephen, challenges and sup- ports me to be thorough. My mother-in-law, Suneetha, and father-in-law, Ran- jana, teach me about Sri Lanka and encourage me to keep learning. My brother, Andrew, regularly edits my sentences and translations and asks, “What is your ar- gument?” My grandmother, Maimie, instills confidence in me. My wife, Nayomi, and daughter, Sophia, sustain me with their love. I express my gratitude to them through the words of this song: l,d jefjka .;a Èh foda;la fia jà jà Tn ug ue jà fndaêhlska jg fnda fld<hla fia w.S w.S Tn ug ue w.S.