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Vihanga wins Gratiaen prize 2014
View(s):Vihanga Perera was awarded the prestigious Gratiaen Prize 2014 on Friday (2 June) for his collection of poetry ‘Love and Protest’. The Gratiaen Prize founded by Michael Ondaatje in 1992 is awarded every year for outstanding literature in English written by a resident of Sri Lanka.
A judging panel chaired by Dr. Sonali Deraniyagala, comprising also Dinali Fernando and Jehan Aloysius chose Perera’s book as the winning entry from a shortlisted group of four. The other contenders were Sandali Ash (Rao’s Guide to Lime Pickling), Quintus G. Fernando (Celibacy Factor) and Ayathurai Santhan (Rails Run Parallel).
Vihanga receiving his award from Walter Perera. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Commending this year’s entries (the shortlist of four was chosen out of 26 entries) Dr. Deraniyagala noted that “each book was well written and a pleasure to go through-you made our job as judges a very pleasant one.” Speaking for the judging panel Dr. Deraniyagala thanked each author who submitted their work for consideration, saying “what’s wonderful about a prize like this is that it provides a framework for writers in Sri Lanka to explore new landscapes in a uniquely Sri Lankan context,” adding “I believe that there are countless Sri Lankan books waiting to be written and this is why we need writers that are vigilant about the magic and mystery of ordinary life.”
Ayathurai Santhan’s novel ‘Rails Run Parallel’ was in particular commended for its clear, simple storytelling with “excellent use of language and dialogue, and attention paid to the details of ordinary life in a situation far from ordinary”. Sandali Ash, the youngest shortlisted author this year with ‘Rao’s Guide to Lime Pickling’ was also praised for her “innovative and gripping coming of age story” and “creative use of language with clever twists of plot.” Quintus G. Fernando’s ‘Celibacy Factor’ was celebrated for its humour and quick-paced storytelling.
It was Vihanga Perera’s ‘Love and Protest’ however that walked away with the prize at the end of the night. “It was a powerful collection of poetry dealing with the contemporary,” noted Dr. Deraniyagala. “The poems were distilled with nuance and clarity and they were expressive and uniquely Sri Lankan.” Collecting his award Perera, in a short speech, thanked his publisher and those who had supported him along the way, alongside the judging panel and the Gratiaen Trust for the accolade. “I had hoped to break away from the traditional norm of giving acceptance speeches by singing a song,” he quipped. “But thankfully my publisher convinced me otherwise.”
The H.A.I. Goonetileke Prize for the best English translation was awarded to Vijitha Fernando for ‘Time Rebounds’, a translation of Keerthi Welisarage’s ‘Kalasarpa’. The judging panel for the award consisted of Dr. Sunil Wijesiriwardena, Prof. Kusuma Karunaratne and Krishantha Federicks, all of whom commended the winning entry for its power to generate commentary within the socio political context, and for its readability and accuracy in translation.