The Gratiaen Prize Final Event
The winner of the Gratiaen Prize will be announced online in a digital event this Saturday, July 4th, 2020. Watch at 6.30pm on FB here:
The Short List, announced just two weeks prior, features the following writers and their works.
Citations
Andrew Fidel Fernando’s (published travelogue) – Upon a sleepless isle.
Citation: For its clarity of vision and purpose. For the skilled use of language and the device of humour. A work that disguises itself as a travel companion all the while distilling countless experiences and anecdotes to elevate it as a work of creative and literary distinction.
(The published) adventure tale for young readers by Praveen Jayamanna – The Double Doorway.
Citation: For its ambitious and colourful presentation of new fantastical worlds through the character of a child. Its imaginative plot build-up and its attempt to present to young readers complex ideas through metaphor and imagery.
Upali Mahaliyana’s Novel (in manuscript) – Tom-tom Boy
Citation: For its richly imagined story and clarity of language, its formal restraint and subtle power, the novel’s sensitive engagement with class and caste in contemporary Sri Lankan culture, its exploration of complex themes of identity, sexuality and religion and its attempt to locate that which is most true and most human.
Vihanga Perera’s entry (in manuscript) – Sentimental Pieces | Private Funeral | The Classical War Poems.
Citation: For its refined craftsmanship and economy of language. Its presentation of deep human emotions, that is at once both, individual and universal; its skilful handling of a range of themes, from the intimate to the political; its grappling with Sri Lanka’s unsettling past and exploring the cruelties of the present day with poignant simplicity. The three collections of poetry presented in one volume.
