Sarasavi
The Bookshop · Est. 1969
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Volume XXIII · 2026

Everystoryhas its shelf.

Sri Lanka's oldest bookshop carries the island's literary memory — from palm-leaf translations to tomorrow's bestsellers.

අපේ පොත් සලකුණු ඔබගේ කතාවේ පරිච්ඡේදයකි.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Chinaman
Anil's Ghost
Editor's Note
"The island's literature finds its home on these shelves."
“
A bookshop is a city's conscience — and Sarasavi has been Colombo's for half a century.
— The Sunday Observer, 2024
සිංහල සාහිත්‍ය
Sinhala Literature

The classics,
kept alive.

Martin Wickramasinghe's trilogy, Piyadasa Sirisena's novels, and contemporary Sinhala fiction — continuously in print through our Sumitha Publications imprint.

Also available:
කවි · කෙටිකතා · ළමා පොත් · පරිවර්තන
Madol Doova
Martin Wickramasinghe
මඩොල් දූව
Martin Wickramasinghe
LKR 1,890
Gamperaliya
Martin Wickramasinghe
ගම්පෙරළිය
Martin Wickramasinghe
LKR 2,100
Viragaya
විරාගය
Martin Wickramasinghe
LKR 1,950
Autumn 2026 · New arrivals

Fresh off
the press.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Booker
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Shehan Karunatilaka
LKR 3,450
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin
LKR 3,190
Klara and the Sun
Klara and the Sun
Kazuo Ishiguro
LKR 3,350
The Midnight Library
The Midnight Library
Matt Haig
LKR 2,790
Fourth Wing
Fourth Wing
Rebecca Yarros
LKR 3,590
A Service Since 1969

Can't find a
particular book?

Tell us the title, author, or ISBN. We'll source it — from Colombo, London, or any publisher in between — usually within 4–6 weeks.

E-Books & Audio

Read anywhere
on the island.

Over 40,000 titles available as e-books. Sinhala, English, and Tamil. Read in the Sarasavi app.

Chapter IV · International

Beyond these shores.

Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits
James Clear
LKR 2,890
Add →
Sapiens
Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari
LKR 3,450
Add →
The Psychology of Money
The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel
LKR 2,850
Add →
Ikigai
Ikigai
Héctor García
LKR 2,450
Add →
Interlude · The Shelf

Fifty-seven stories, turning.

Six island voices, six chapters. A slow-turning banner of the books that made us.

Booker Prize · 2022

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

A voice from Colombo · Contemporary
"You wake up dead. You have seven moons to solve your own murder — or fade into nothing."
LKR 3,450 · Hardcover
Commonwealth Prize · 2012

Chinaman

The island's greatest cricketer · Modern Classic
"Cricket is, after all, about uncertainty. The ball swings. The wicket crumbles. A career ends."
LKR 2,890 · Hardcover
Michael Ondaatje

Anil's Ghost

Forensic truth, Sri Lankan grief · 1990s · Civil War
"To be buried, he had learned, was to be unseen. Bones hold the weight of names the earth forgets."
LKR 3,200 · Hardcover
Martin Wickramasinghe

Madol Doova

The island's most beloved novel · 1947 · Sinhala Literature
"උපන් ගමෙන් පිටුවහල් වූ දරුවෙක් දූපතකට පා තැබූ දා සිට, මඩොල් දූව දිවයිනේම කතාව වූවාය."
LKR 1,890 · Hardcover
Shyam Selvadurai

Funny Boy

A boy, a country, a crossing · 1994 · Diaspora
"I must take my sides carefully, the way you choose a path through a garden that is on fire."
LKR 2,650 · Hardcover
Romesh Gunesekera

Reef

A cook's apprentice, a dying reef · 1994 · Coastal
"The sea rearranges itself every night, and in the morning we pretend we know where the edge is."
LKR 2,450 · Hardcover
Chapter 01 of 06 · SHEHAN KARUNATILAKAHover to pause · drag to turn
EST. 2014 · XII ANNUAL
— The Sarasavi —

Literary Festival

09 — 13 DecemberBMICH, ColomboFree entry
Featuring Shehan Karunatilaka, Michael Ondaatje (via satellite), Ru Freeman, Amanda Jayatissa, and 40 more authors from across South Asia.