Gratiaen Prize reveals 2024 shortlist

The short-listed from left: Ramya Jirasinghe, Lal Medawattegedara, Selvi  Sachithanandam, Vihanga Perera and    Pasan Jayasinghe

Gratiaen Prize 2024 shortlisted writers with the judges and sponsors

By Divya Thotawatte 

Celebrating the talents and imagination of Sri Lankan creative writers, the five shortlisted works for the 31st Gratiaen Prize was revealed on 29 April at the British Council Library. 

The event was hosted by the Gratiaen Trust, in partnership with John Keells Foundation and with the support of British Council as its event partner. This year, after evaluating submissions from three perspectives, those of a creative writer, an academic, and an informed general reader, five writers made it to the shortlist from the longlist of eight. 

The shortlisted works include Pasan Jayasinghe’s unpublished travelogue ’A Passing Return’, Ramya Jirasinghe’s unpublished novel ‘Father Cabraal’s Recipe for Love Cake’, Selvi Sachithanandam’s published biography ‘Gnanam’, Vihanga Perera’s published novel ‘Students and Rebels’, and Lal Medawattegedara’s unpublished novel ‘When Ghosts Die’.

Gratiaen Prize 2024 Chair of the Jury and T.S Elliot award-winning poet, novelist, academic, and musician Dr. Anthony Joseph said, “Each book has offered something of the island. There is a richness of detail throughout the entries, which is vivid and sensuous, with elegant, transportive descriptions of the island and its landscape. It has also been great to see how as writers, we are all, regardless to our geographies, trying to say something about what it means to be human. The stories and poems here are grappling with issues and concerns which are universal but are doing this in a distinctively Sri Lankan way.”

Adhering to Gratiaen Prize’s longstanding tradition of representing three perspectives within the judging process, the jury panel this year includes distinguished international and local literary figures representing the categories of a creative writer, an academic and an informed general reader. Joining Dr. Joseph in the jury panel are King’s College London Professor Dr. Ruvani Ranasinha and renowned hotelier and academic with a background in chemical engineering and literature Angeline Ondaatjie.

Representative of John Keells Foundation, CSR Head and John Keells Holdings Senior Assistant Vice President Carmeline Jayasuriya said, “John Keells Foundation is delighted to partner with the Gratiaen Trust for the fifth successive year in its commitment to support an increasingly vibrant literary culture in Sri Lanka. As the process for the prestigious Gratiaen Prize progresses, we look forward to celebrating the achievements of Sri Lankan writers and continuing our collaborative efforts with the Gratiaen Trust to nurture creativity and innovation.”

At the event, British Council Sri Lanka Country Director Orlando Edwards also spoke about British Council’s work with the Gratiaen Trust. He said that for this year’s Gratiaen Prize award event, British Council would sponsor the visit of Dr. Joseph. 

“Our work with the Gratiaen Trust is highly regarded in the UK, where the growing importance of the Sri Lankan literary scene on the global stage is recognised. It’s worth noting too, the huge potential of the Sri Lankan book publishing industry. The market size of the book publishing industry in the UK is estimated to be £ 6.9 billion in 2024. Here in Sri Lanka, it’s the work of actors like the Gratiaen Trust which are helping to grow the Sri Lankan creative economy.”

The Gratiaen Prize, founded by the renowned Sri Lankan-Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje, is a prestigious annual award that celebrates and nurtures Sri Lanka’s English literary scene, spotlighting the best of Sri Lankan authors. In 2023, the award celebrated its 30th year, commemorating the significant milestone with initiatives like the Young Writers Club, the Gratiaen Pods, a literary day held in Jaffna, workshops at the Universities of Colombo and Peradaniya with the acclaimed author Monique Roffey, a masterclass with award-winning author Romesh Gunesekera, and the visit of award-winning British author Sita Brahmachary. 

The winner of the 31st Gratiaen Prize will be revealed at the award event held on 1 June this year. For more details about the Gratiaen Prize and the upcoming awards ceremony, visit www.gratiaen.com. 

Pix by Lasantha Kumara