Still generating great interest in literature
Lifetime awards presented by President Maithripala Sirisena to Prof. K.N.O. Dharmadasa
The 61st State Literary Awards ceremony held at the BMICH last Sunday well reflected the positive development of interest in literature with 45 carrying away awards which symbolised the highest recognition at national level for excellence in literature. The 45 winners, a graduation from last year’s 42, who won for the best literary works with no merit awards given this year, were selected from 900 publications which speaks of the high literary standards set by them and the competitiveness of the event.
The event also reflected vigorous interest among Tamil writers with all Tamil literary categories well competed. Even in the English section, the numbers of English writers who were nominated for awards had gone up from last year’s 17 to 21 this year. Six of them were women. Two out of them won awards. However, there were no English short story writers. All in all, in the State Literary Awards there were only seven women who carried away awards out of the 45.
Lifetime awards presented by President Maithripala Sirisena to Murugasu Ponnampalam
The high point of the State Literary Awards ceremony which was intermingled with a diversity of cultural items was the presenting of the Lifetime Award of Sahithyaratna Abhidhana to three luminaries by President Maitripala Sirisena. This year’s recipients were Professor K.N.O.
Dharmadasa who had made an invaluable contribution to Sinhala and English literature and who had been a Chief Editor of the Sinhala Encyclopaedia, Murugasu Ponnampalam, a scholar and prolific writer who had helped build a new Tamil literary genre and Professor Gananath Obeysekera, who had served as an academic both at the University of Ceylon and at prestigious foreign universities. He is also a distinguished writer who in fact won an Award in the “Best Academic and Research Publication in English” category this year for his “The Doomed King”.
Full house:The audience at the State Literary Awards
Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksha, Minister of Higher Education and Cultural Affairs hoped that the event would motivate those who were felicitated as well as other writers. The ceremony organised by the State Literary Advisory Board, the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Ministry of Higher Education and Cultural Affairs was also addressed by Anusha Gokula Fernando, Director, Cultural Affairs. Professor Samantha Herath, Chairman, State Literary Advisory Board spelt out how the event was made possible.
Please see our website www.sundaytimes.lk for the full list of prize winners.