Shehan Wins Top Prize At Jaipur Literary Festival

Shehan in Tangalle

My friend Shehan Karunatilake has won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature at the Jaipur Literary Festival. Damn well deserved. Chinaman a thoughtful and entertaining book about Sri Lanka, unlike the self-pitying war and araliya tripe many authors produce. I reviewed the local edition here. It got the edit it needed in the international edition. Give it a like on Facebook, or better yet buy the thing. It’s fun, sad and strange – truly repping the country.

I also hear that Shehan wins a USD $50,000 prize. Perhaps he can pay the Sri Lankan cricketers salaries. In the governments molestation of our beloved game, these guys haven’t been paid for a year.

But that’s a bummer, and the damn government’s fault and our shame. I remember Shehan when he was more notable for playing bass in Independence Square (the band) but he’s damn smart and wrote Chinaman laboriously and well. It’s taken time but it’s getting the respect that it deserves and Shehan is chill enough to bear it well. Congrats Shehan, very proud of you.

6 Comments

  4. Forget about the current cricketers.
    Hope he will give atleast half of the prize money to Pradeep Mathews the great. Shehan Karunatilake owes him a lot.

Comments are closed.