Both Chiranthi Rajapaksa and Yudhanjaya Wijreratne were announced the joint winners of the 30th Gratiaen Prize while Manel Eriyagama walked away with the H. A. I. Goonetileke Prize for Literary Translation 2021-2022.The two prizes were awarded at the Gratiaen Awards ceremony hosted by Sarah Hulton, British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka at her official residence (Westminster House) on the 17th of June 2023.

Unpublished manuscripts authored by Rajapakse for her collection of short stories titled “Keeping Time and Other Stories” and Wijeratne’s novel titled “The Wretched and the Damned” were selected as the winning work of the year, out of 4 shortlisted writers. Keeping Time and Other Stories is a series of short stories capturing a glimpse of the richness and depth of everyday life, inviting readers to reflect on the complexity of ordinary experiences. The Wretched and the Damned ironically written by Wijeratnes in 2021, depicts a story of a group who get together to bring down Sri Lanka by coordinating and planning an economic collapse in the island.

Speaking exclusively to Life, both Wijeratne and Rajapkse stated that they were very much “honoured” by the recognition and they were profoundly grateful for the network and connection between writers brought out by the work of the Gratiaen Trust.

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, the Gratiaen Prize is known to be one of the most prestigious literary prizes awarded for the best work of literary writing in English by a resident of Sri Lanka. This year the prize marked its 30th year highlighting its three decade long unhindered record of recognising and promoting Sri Lankan writing in English.

The Jury for the prize was Chaired by Romesh Gunesekera, an internationally acclaimed writer who has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize and is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature; Sukanya Wignaraja, a psychotherapist by profession, a former editor at Oxford University Press, New Delhi, and an avid reader of literature; and Kaushalya Perera, a Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Colombo whose research interests span linguistics and literature. The three judges respectively represent the creative writer, informed reader, and the academic-the traditional composition of the Jury.

Delivering a summary of the Gratien jury report, Chair Romesh Gunesekera stated that the judging process had been “a truly enriching experience filled with amazingly good conversations” proving the fact that creative writing in Sri Lanka is “alive and thriving”.

The H. A. I. Goonetileke Prize for Literary Translation 2021-2022 was awarded to Manel Eriyagama for her translation work titled “Jewels ; A compilation of 14 stories by the translator”. A biannual prize for translation, the H. A. I. Goonetileke Prize seeks to recognize and promote translations into English of Sinhala and Tamil language creative writing by Sri Lankans residing in Sri Lanka. Visionized by founder Michael Ondaatje to foster cross-ethnic relations and advance the international recognition of Sri Lankan creative writing in local languages, the prize is named after his close friend, first Chairperson of the Gratiaen Trust, and legendary librarian of the University of Peradeniya – Ian Goonetileke.

The judging panel for the translation prize included Prabha Manuratne, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of English, University of Kelaniya and a well-known film and literary critic who writes both in Sinhala and English, Dr Ponni Arasu, an activist, historian, lawyer and translator who works in Tamil, and Kaushalya Kumarasinghe, a Sri Lankan Sinhala language novelist and translator.

Speaking at the event, Chairperson of the Gratiaen Trust Neloufer de Mel, stated the “Gratiaen prize in the milestone year has been very special to the Trust” as it marks their 30 years of concerted, voluntary effort to enhance and support English creative writing in Sri Lanka. Mentioning that the year has been blessed for the field of Sri Lankan literature, notably because Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilleke won the Booker Prize 30 years after founder Michael Ondaatje, the year highlights a time in which Sri Lankan literature in English is increasingly gaining traction on the world literary map.

Administered by the Gratiaen Trust based in Sri Lanka, the Gratiaen Prize accepts printed books and manuscripts in a range of genres including fiction, poetry, drama, creative prose and literary memoir. Both authors and publishers are eligible to submit entries. Submissions are accepted between 1 and 31 December in a given year and are assessed by a panel of three judges appointed by the Trust who are required to short-list three to five entries.

By Nuzla Rizkiya pix by Nisal Baduge