Lankan writers make a mark in Commonwealth literary prizes

Sri Lankan authors Nayomi Munaweera and Michael Mendis are among the regional winners for the 2013 Commonwealth Book Prize and Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

Representing Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, Caribbean, and the Pacific regions, these writers will now compete to become the overall winner, to be announced at Hay Festival UK on May 31.

The Commonwealth Book Prize is awarded for the best first novel, and the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for the best piece of unpublished short fiction.

Part of Commonwealth Writers, the prizes seek to unearth, develop and promote the best of new writing from across the Commonwealth, developing literary connections worldwide and consistently bringing less-heard voices to the fore. The cultural breadth of stories from this year’s regional winners includes Sri Lanka on the eve of independence from British Colonial rule, the Socialist regime of 1970s Jamaica, and a South Africa riven by apartheid, a press release from the Commonwealth foundation said. Commonwealth Book Prize Regional Winner, Africa: Ster\ile Sky, E.E. Sule (Nigeria), Pearson Education

Regional Winner, Asia: Island of a Thousand Mirrors, Nayomi Munaweera (Sri Lanka), Perera-Hussein Publishing House

Regional Winner, Canada & Europe: The Death of Bees, Lisa O’Donnell (United Kingdom), William Heinemann

Regional Winner, Caribbean: Disposable People, Ezekel Alan (Jamaica), self-published

Regional Winner, Pacific: The Last Thread, Michael Sala (Australia), Affirm Press

Commenting on the winners, Chair of the Commonwealth Book Prize, Godfrey Smith said, “Choosing the regional winners from among the 21 shortlisted books was a rewarding journey across diverse cultures, through soaring - sometimes shocking - imaginations, movingly connecting us with a fascinating range of human situations. The five regional winners are an impressive mixture of bold, ambitious, powerfully descriptive and emotionally riveting writing that will leave us with a deeper appreciation and understanding of our world.” Commonwealth Short Story Prize Regional Winner, Africa: The New Customers, Julian Jackson (South Africa)

Regional Winner, Asia: The Sarong-Man in the Old House, and an Incubus for a Rainy Night, Michael Mendis (Sri Lanka)

Regional Winner, Canada & Europe: We Walked On Water, Eliza Robertson (Canada)

Regional Winner, Caribbean: The Whale House, Sharon Millar (Trinidad and Tobago)

Regional Winner, Pacific: Things with Faces, Zoë Meager (New Zealand)

Chair of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, Razia Iqbal said, “The short story is among the hardest forms to master. The five stories we chose as regional winners all pass the judges’ tests of capturing a distinctive tone; creating fulsome characters; always deft in showing, not telling; subject matter both intimate and personal, as well as ranging across political landscapes. Reading them will transport you, as all good literature does, and introduce you to voices we are sure you will hear again.”