Shehan Karunatilaka
Encyclopedia
Shehan Karunatilaka is a Sri Lanka
n writer most notable for winning the 2008 Gratiaen Prize
for his book Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew. In his own words, Chinaman used Cricket
as a device to write about Sri Lankan society. His debut novel, The Painter, was shortlisted for the Gratiaen in 2000, but was never published. He has played bass with Sri Lankan bands Independence Square and Powercut Circus.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n writer most notable for winning the 2008 Gratiaen Prize
Gratiaen Prize
The Gratiaen Prize is an annual literary prize for best work of literary writing in English by a resident Sri Lankan. It was founded in 1992 by the Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje with the money he received as joint-winner of the Booker Prize for his novel The English Patient...
for his book Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew. In his own words, Chinaman used Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
as a device to write about Sri Lankan society. His debut novel, The Painter, was shortlisted for the Gratiaen in 2000, but was never published. He has played bass with Sri Lankan bands Independence Square and Powercut Circus.
Awards and honors
- 2012: DSC Prize for South Asian LiteratureDSC Prize for South Asian LiteratureDSC Prize for South Asian Literature is a literary prize awarded annually to writers of any ethnicity or nationality writing about South Asia themes such as culture, politics, history, or people. It is for an original full-length novel written in English, or translated into English. The first award...
, short-list, Chinaman - 2008: Gratiaen PrizeGratiaen PrizeThe Gratiaen Prize is an annual literary prize for best work of literary writing in English by a resident Sri Lankan. It was founded in 1992 by the Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje with the money he received as joint-winner of the Booker Prize for his novel The English Patient...
, winner, Chinaman - 2000: Gratiaen PrizeGratiaen PrizeThe Gratiaen Prize is an annual literary prize for best work of literary writing in English by a resident Sri Lankan. It was founded in 1992 by the Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje with the money he received as joint-winner of the Booker Prize for his novel The English Patient...
, short-list, The Painter