Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka is the winner of the British Booker Prize for his satirical novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, a biting satire set against the background of the civil war in Sri Lanka.
The book tells the story of a gambling gay photographer who tries to find out who killed him. The story is set on the streets of Colombo, in the 1990s after the civil war. The jury praised, among other things, the “breadth and skill, the daring, the boldness and hilarity” of the book. The work serves a “black afterlife” that takes the reader on a “roller coaster of life and death”.
Shehan Karunatilaka, 47, is the second Sri Lankan writer to win the Booker Prize, after Michael Ondaatje in 1992.
Other nominated books
The other nominated books were Glory by Zimbabwean writer NoViolet Bulawayo, The Trees by American Percival Everett, Treacle Walker by Briton Alan Garner, Oh William! (translated into Dutch as ‘The story of William’, ed.) by the American Elizabeth Strout and Small Things Like These (translated into Dutch as ‘This kind of trifles’, ed.), the debut novel by Irish writer Claire Keegan .
It was the first time after the corona pandemic that the award ceremony had again been turned into a major event, British media report. The prize is intended for authors of an English-language book. The winner will receive £50,000 (almost 58,000 euros). British Queen Consort Camilla attended the prestigious literary award ceremony at a London theater.
Last year, South African Damon Galgut won the prestigious prize. Writer and poet Marieke Lucas Rijneveld was the first Dutch winner in 2020 with the English translation of his book The evening is discomfort (The Discomfort of Evening).
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss out on any of the stars.