Deshabandu Sirisumana Godage, the proprietor of Godage Publications and one of the most prolific figures in Sri Lankan publishing, died last night at a private hospital in Colombo at the age of 89, NewsFirst reported on Wednesday.
Born in Matara in 1936, Godage entered the book trade through bookbinding under the guidance of the Venerable Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero. He established Godage Publications in 1956, building what would become one of the country’s largest publishing houses across more than six decades.
Godage Publications won the State Award for publishing the highest number of books annually for 38 consecutive years, an unbroken record in Sri Lankan publishing. The firm produced Sinhala-language literature, academic works, religious texts and translations across an unusually wide list, making it a fixture in Colombo’s bookshops and at the annual Colombo International Book Fair.
He also founded the Godage Manuscript Competition and the Godage Literary Awards, providing a regular platform for emerging authors and recognition for established literary figures. Generations of Sinhala writers credited the awards as among the first formal acknowledgements of their work.
Godage’s body will lie in state at a private funeral parlour in Borella from 4:00 PM today (April 29) for the public to pay their final respects. Final rites are scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the Borella General Cemetery.
The title “Deshabandu” — a national honour conferred by the President of Sri Lanka — was awarded to Godage in recognition of his contribution to the country’s literary and publishing landscape.
