An evening of ‘many gems’
The longlisted authors at a discussion moderated by Ruhanie Perera (far right). From left: Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke, Elmo Jayawardena, Shehan Karunatilaka, Chamali Kariyawasam, Zeneefa Zaneer, Seneka Abeyratne and Ayathurai Santhan
This year, the lot of the Gratiaen judges was more unenviable than it had been in years past (though it must at the same time have been highly rewarding and thrilling). It was quite a large haul- in fact 42 entries- but even more overwhelming has been the quality of the work. From the moment three boxes of books and manuscripts found their way onto the three judges’ doorsteps, it has been much hard work- reading, debating, discussing, analyzing, reviewing- a feverish round.
A glance at the longlist suffices to affirm that this year’s yield is indeed ripe and rich- with, as Gill Caldicott said, ‘many gems’. Included in the longlist were some of our most celebrated homegrown writers, while the lesser known few have packed a punch with really powerful stuff: life after death for three different people, being gay in Colombo, the world viewed by a crow living in its own ‘condominium’ and a layered discussion of abortion and disability and its impact on women.
Gill Caldicott
So it was with much careful consideration that the judges had proceeded to make a shortlist of the longlisted eight- whittling it down to four: Chats with the Dead by Shehan Karunatilaka, Youthful Escapades by Upali Mahaliyana, The One Who Loves You So by Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke and They Failed to Kill Her by Zeneefa Zaneer.
The shortlist was announced on Monday, April 8 at an evening event at the British Council with a lively discussion with the longlisted authors moderated by Ruhanie Perera, followed by the shortlist and readings of the work of the shortlisted authors by readers –Purnima Pilapitiya, Dino Corera and Chalana Wijesuriya.
A section of the audience at the British Council. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
This year, the judges were Gill Caldicott, Director, British Council, Sri Lanka; Ramya Jirasinghe, creative writer and researcher; and Andi Schubert, university academic and social researcher.
Said Andi of the shortlist, speaking for his co-judges as well:
“The books that stood out to us as judges all seemed to share certain characteristics. For one, all these books shared a commitment to bearing witness, to speaking out about concerns that require courage, empathy, nuance, honesty, respect, and care. Their stories stood out to us for the use of their craft, talent, and creativity as a medium to explore those issues that are often hidden from view in way that welcomes and engenders conversations and dialogue.
Andi Schubert
“We also felt that all these books are perhaps somewhat readier to transcend the narrow confines of what is usually classed as “Sri Lankan Literature” and reach out to a more global audience of readers and literary critics.
“Finally, and perhaps for us most critically, these are all books that are going to endure with us long after we have completed our task as judges. These stories seeped into our dreams, percolated in our consciousness and then shook us out of our quiet reveries, confronted us with our privileges, and demanded that we take notice of them in ways that we could not afford to ignore. They reminded us once again of the ways that creative writing can speak to our deepest capacities for forgiveness, for beauty, for love, and perhaps most of all, for hope.”
It is wonderful that the Gratiaen has grown to attract such exceptional talent- seeing as the prize had had a long journey with the country’s literature in English- fostering it carefully for 26 years. Named after Doris Gratiaen, the prize- given to the best submitted creative work in English by a resident in Sri Lanka- was established in 1993 by her son Michael Ondaatje with the money he won for the Booker Prize of 1992 for The English Patient.
Ramya Jirasinghe
This year’s longlist comprised Seneka Abeyratne’s collection of short stories, The Beast and Other Stories; Elmo Jayawardena’s novel, Kakiyan: The Story of a Crow; Chamali Kariyawasam’s poetry collection Catharsis; Shehan Karunatilaka’s novel, Chats with the Dead; Upali Mahaliyana’s novel, Youthful Escapades;
Ayathurai Santhan’s novel in two parts, Every Journey Ends; Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke’s drama, The One Who Loves You So; and Zeneefa Zaneer’s novel, They Failed to Kill Her.
The Gratiaen Prize 2018 will be awarded at a final awards ceremony, sponsored by Sarasavi Bookshop Private Limited, on June 9.
The Gratiaen Trust will also award the H. A. I. Goonetileke Prize for Translations this year. The judges are Sumathy Sivamohan, filmmaker and academic; Saumya Liyanage, dramatist, actor and academic; Charulatha Thewarathanthri, writer; and Esther Surenthiraraj, university academic.