Sonali Deraniyagala | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1964 (age 60–61) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, memoirist |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 (both deceased) |
Sonali Deraniyagala (born 1964) is a Sri Lankan memoirist and economist.[1] She serves as a lecturer in Economics at theSOAS South Asia Institute.
She was born in Colombo,Sri Lanka,[2] to lawyer (Justin) Edward Pieris Deraniyagala and Gemini Deraniyagala.[3][4][5]
In 1990, she married economistStephen Lissenburgh (1964–2004), who "made large contributions to British public policy research".[6]
While on vacation at Sri Lanka'sYala National Park in December 2004, she lost her husband,[7] their two sons, her parents, her best friend, and her best friend's mother in theIndian Ocean tsunami.[8] The tsunami carried her two miles inland and she was able to survive by clinging to a tree branch.[9][10][11] She reportedly suffered unconsciousness and internal bleeding. Following the tsunami, she was taken to her aunt's house in Colombo. There, she stayed beneath the covers of her cousin’s bed, hoarding sleeping pills for comfort and solace; she attempted to stab herself with abutter knife and smashed her head on the sharp corner of the wooden headboard of the bed in reaction to the trauma of the tsunami.[12][13] She attemptedsuicide and also began usingalcohol in a bid to forget the tragedy.[14]
She went to New York at the end of 2006 to begin a new life after the trauma of the tsunami. Moving to New York, she chose a small apartment inGreenwich Village.[2] She was convinced by her therapist to write down her painful memories to help her relax from the trauma.
She started dating the actressFiona Shaw in 2018 after years of dating men only; the couple got married after Sonali proposed to Fiona a few months later.[15][16][17]
She considersJoan Didion andMichael Ondaatje her favourite literary heroes.[18]
She studiedeconomics atCambridge University and has adoctorate from theUniversity of Oxford. She is on the faculty of theDepartment of Economics at SOAS,University of London and is a research scholar atColumbia University in New York City. She lives inNew York City, andLondon.[19]
After surviving the tsunami, Deraniyagala relocated to New York where she became a visiting research scholar atColumbia University. Her 2013 memoir,Wave, recounts her experiences in the tsunami and the progression of her grief in the ensuing years.[20][21] Sonali began writing her memoirWave in 2010, where she describes her personal experiences in the aftermath of the tsunami and how she coped with it.[22][20] The book became an instant hit and much to Sonali's surprise, it became one of the most sought-after memoirs globally. It was shortlisted for the 2013National Book Critics Circle Award (Autobiography)[23][24] and won thePEN Ackerley Prize 2013.[25] This book is currently used as a prose passage in the education system (O/Level) for English Literature inSri Lanka.[26]
She has also expressed her concerns, insights and opinions about the2019–present Sri Lankan economic crisis to various platforms.[27]
