Harold Peiris
| Harold Peiris | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 22, 1905 Sri Lanka |
| Died | 1981 |
| Nationality |
 Sri Lankan |
| Education | Royal College, Colombo, St. John’s College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | author, scholar and translator |
Harold Peiris (1905– 1981) was a Sri Lankan lawyer, author, scholar and translator. He was the co-founder of the Lionel Wendt Art Centre and its sole life-trustee.[1]
Born to a wealthy family, he was the only son of Charles Peiris, who was the younger brother of the more famous Sir James Peiris and he is a great grandson of Sir Charles Henry de Soysa. Educated at Royal College, Colombo and St. John’s College, Cambridge, Harold graduated with a degree in law. He became a Barrister at Lincoln's Inn.
In he was one of the co-founders of the Lionel Wendt Art Centre that was opened in 1953 in memory of artist Lionel Wendt. The second gallery of the center is named Harold Peiris Gallery in his honor. Fluent in several languages, he translated to Sinhalese the Gita Govinda and in collaboration with L.C. Van Geyzel, translated most of the poems and plays of Kālidāsa in 1961.
Harold Peiris married first in 1928 to Leah, daughter of S.W. Dassenaike, a retired Public Works Department engineer and a member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon and second to Alicia "Peggy" Keyt sister of the artist George Keyt in 1940.
References
- ↑ "Harold Peiris". Sundaytimes.lk. 1905-07-22. Retrieved 2011-09-10.