On a deeper level, however, the novel is about the effects of power on a leader, the effects a dictator has on his population, the human condition, and the power of social change brought on by a group of people. On the surface, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is a novel about a cocky and loud war photographer who is horrifically murdered one day and must find out who killed him. The movement roughly translates to 'struggle' and is aimed at forcing change in the government in Sri Lanka - in one way or another. While Karunatilaka's book was written after the events of 2022, he used his experiences and thoughts about 2022 to reflect on 1989, writing: 'No, it is not bleaker than 1989, because this time it is the people who are crushing the state.' And that is the ethos of his novel: states and their leaders that crush and oppress their people are, to put it simply, evil.Īnother influence on The Seven Moons of Maali Almeidais the Aragalaya movement, which is being spearheaded by young people in Sri Lanka. Shortages of common household goods and food became commonplace and violence thusly erupted in the streets. This, Karunatilaka said, informed his thoughts and his choices in writing the novel.Īs in 1989, Sri Lanka faced a number of hard things in 2022. Not only that, the sons of dictators became leaders, furthering the destructive cycle. After all, Sri Lanka has been affected by brutal dictators who affected Sri Lanka in horrific ways. But Karunatilaka chose to write about 1989 in Sri Lanka for a particular reason: he thought that writing about 'forgotten tragedies would be less problematic, as most of the antagonists of 1989 are dead.' But, according to Karunatilaka, he was wrong. Simultaneously, Maali must also deliver a number of photos to the men and women he loves the most to shake up Sri Lanka, the country he so dearly loves.Īs a Sri Lankan, Karunatilaka had inside information related to the country, its political situation, and the people who live in it. Perplexed and in a strange celestial office he doesn't recognize, Maali decides to investigate who killed him and why they killed him. One day, Maali is suddenly and mysteriously killed and dismembered. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeidais set in 1989 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and follows a war photographer named Maali Almeida.

Written by people who wish to remain anonymous

We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

The 7 moons of maali almeida