A Tribute to a Luminary, Dr Jacques Soulié

By Mahendra Pathirana

A little while after my beloved wife Anoma passed away, I immersed myself in the Herculean task of translating the great literature masterpiece, the Mahawamsa into French from the existing English version which had been done by Professor Wilhelm Geiger.

Dr. Jacques Soulié became my guiding light during these difficult times. He reviewed what I translated into French. His linguistic expertise, in-depth analysis and insights coupled with the dedication to accuracy benefited my work immensely. I had translated all 37 chapters in the Mahawamsa out of which he was able to review 33. Now it is with a strong sense of obligation that I am determined to complete the review keeping to the same high standard set by the late Dr. Soulié.

I was grappling with deep and intense emotions on the journey from my home in Nittambuwa to attend his funeral in Kandy. Feelings of anxiety and loss mixed with extreme gratitude, reminiscing the precious memories of the deep bond we shared meandered my mind. I had the company of one of my former students from ‘Alliance Française de Colombo’ whom I have known for 30 years, Dr. Asanka Gamage and my children Prasanna and Prasadini Pathirathne on this difficult journey. 

At the funeral I spoke with the French Ambassador HE Remi Lambert and had the opportunity to share the details of the invaluable contribution of Dr. Soulié to the Sri Lankan academia at large and to literature in particular. The ambassador, an extremely polite individual, seemed fascinated with the work I had done with Dr. Soulie on the Mahawamsa, which has been acknowledged as a UNESCO World heritage text for its great universal value.

I wish Dr. Soulié the supreme bliss of nibbana as I know how much he believed in Buddhism. His parting is a loss that cannot be filled for in essence his existence  and character were as expansive and breathtaking as the misty mountains he surrounded himself with every day for decades living in his beautiful walauwa in Pilimathalawe.

 
Mahendra Pathirathne is a French lecturer, writer, and translator. A graduate in French, German, and Japanese (First Class) from the University of Kelaniya, he pursued his Master’s in Applied Linguistics at the Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris III (1988–1990) on a French government scholarship. He began teaching French at age 21 at the Alliance Française de Colombo, where he remained for 43 years until his retirement in 2023. He also taught at the University of Peradeniya and served as a language consultant to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Education, contributing to national teacher recruitment initiatives. As an author, he has published textbooks widely used in schools and compiled resources such as Pratique de la compréhension écrite and Les Annales du Bac. His translation work includes Jungle Tide by John Still and, more recently, the Mahavamsa, a project reviewed by the late Dr. Jacques Soulié.