Evening of sharing their craft as Gratiaen shortlist is announced
Lively discussion: Dino Corera has a chat with the longlisted writers. Pix by Nilan Maligaspe
This year’s Gratiaen shortlist was revealed on May 17 amidst camaraderie, canapés and cocktails at the British Council library- where the prize was thought up by Sri Lankan- Canadian author Michael Ondaatje and named after his mother Doris Gratiaen, exactly 30 years ago in the British Council lawn, or so the story goes.
Established with the money Ondaatje won for the 1992 Booker Prize for The English Patient, the Gratiaen is now the most prestigious award for English writing in Sri Lanka and this year’s shortlist shows a variety that has been hard-bred through three decades.
Prior to the shortlist announcement Dino Corera hosted a Q & A where he coaxed out the secret writing lives of the eight long-listed authors adeptly, coming up with insights into the intricacies of the literary craft, the sharing of which is something at the heart of the Gratiaen’s perennial commitment.
Tera Jayawardene, the youngest Gratiaen trustee and Ondaatje’s grandniece, announced the launch of the all new Gratiaen Young Writers’ Club.
The Gratiaen shortlist for 2022 is as follows:
Isurinie Anuradha Mallawaarachchi for her collection of poetry - Flowers Teach Me to Let Go
Chiranthi Rajapakse for her short story collection – Keeping Time and Other Stories
Shirani Rajapakse for her collection of poetry – Samsara
Yudhanjaya Wijeratne for his novel – The Wretched and the Damned
The judges this year are Romesh Gunesekere (chair), Sukanya Wignaraja and Dr. Kaushalya Perera. The prize will be announced on June 17.
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