Robert Knox, an English sea captain working for the East India Company, was captured by a Kandyan king in the 17C. From this benign imprisonment, the Burgher race was born and Knox also produced in 1681 the first literary study of Ceylon in English: `An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon In The East Indies.’ It was hardly the most catchy title, but since then the English-speaking world has been captivated by Sri Lanka. In recent decades Sri Lankan writers have made major contributions to English literature, including Carl Muller, Michael Ondaatje, Ashok Ferrey, Punyakante Wijenaike, Romesh Gunasekera and Shyam Selvadurai.  In 2007 this literary interest reached new heights with the inaugural Galle Literary Festival. The festival was immediately listed by Harpers Bazaar listing the festival as one of six most appealing literary festivals in the world, alongside such gatherings as the Hay Festival in Columbia and the Wexford Book Festival in Ireland.

The second Galle Literary Festival, in early 2008, attracted literary figures such as Gore Vidal, William Dalrymple, Simon Winchester, Shobhaa De, travel writers including Tm Severin, Brian Keenan, Chriris Stewart and Vikram Seth and a host of Sri Lankan authors.  The four-day programme included more than over 70 events in which guests could participate. Literary debates, book launches, poetry readings, literary lunches and dinners, film evenings, and seminars were all held within the Galle Fort. The festival’s long-term survival already seems assured.