Sri Lanka and New Zealand triumph as Commonwealth Writers announces winners for 2012 prizes

Today, Commonwealth Writers has announced the winners of the 2012 Commonwealth Book Prize and Commonwealth Short Story Prize. The awards were presented at Hay Festival by the multiple prize-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Commonwealth Book Prize Winner: Shehan Karunatilaka, Sri Lanka, Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew Vintage Publishing, Random House India

Shehan Karunatilaka was born in Galle, Sri Lanka. He studied Business and Administration at Massey University in New Zealand, after which he worked as an advertising copywriter. He has also written rock songs, travel stories and basslines.

“This fabulously enjoyable read will keep you entertained and rooting for the protagonist until the very end, while delivering startling truths about cricket and about Sri Lanka. Narrated by a retired hard-drinking sports journalist on an obsessive quest for the mysterious Pradeep Mathew, who may just be Sri Lanka’s best all-time cricketer, it’s an insightful story about fact and gullibility, about world history, about friends and family; and it comes with this attestable guarantee: “If you’ve never seen a cricket match; if you have and it has made you snore; if you can’t understand why anyone would watch, let alone obsess over this dull game, then this is the book for you.” Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew sets the standard high for the new Commonwealth Book Prize, which aims to discover new talent and energise literary output in the different regions.”

Margaret Busby, Chair, Commonwealth Book Prize

“It’s incredible considering where the book began. I wasn’t certain that it would be published outside of Colombo when I was writing it. I was surprised to make it to the final five, considering how strong the Asia shortlist was. To win it is quite crazy. Now I just need to find a pub in Wales that serves arrack. It’s a privilege to be part of a global prize that has recognised so many great writers over the years. I feel deeply honoured.”

Shehan Karunatilaka, Commonwealth Book Prize winner

Commonwealth Short Story Prize Winner:

Emma Martin, New Zealand, Two Girls in a Boat

Emma Martin grew up in Dunedin, New Zealand. She started writing fiction in mid-life, completing an MA in Creative Writing at the Victoria University of Wellington in 2010. Her stories and essays have since been published in literary journals and anthologies in New Zealand and the UK. She lives in Wellington, and is currently working on a collection of short stories.

“There were so many brilliant short stories on our shortlist but Two Girls in a Boat rose to the top as it fulfilled the judges’ brief that the winning entry have linguistic flair, originality, depth and daring. The story was chosen for its gorgeous, elegant and spare writing; its nuanced handling of time, place and relationships; its daring, provocative subject matter and clear-eyed exploration of the choice of heterosexual conformity in the face of sexual mutability. Until we had decided on our shortlist, all entries were anonymous. So it is also great that this prize, I think we can claim, has discovered Emma Martin, who has not yet published a book, and brought her to an international audience. With her considerable talent we hope to see more of her work in the future.”

Bernardine Evaristo, Chair of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize

“It is a wonderful and unexpected honour to win this prize. Writing can be a solitary business, so to receive any award is immensely encouraging. But the Commonwealth Short Story Prize is especially meaningful to me – I couldn’t be more grateful to Commonwealth Writers for welcoming me into its global community.”

Emma Martin, Commonwealth Short Story Prize Winner

Commonwealth Writers is a new cultural programme within the Commonwealth Foundation which develops, connects and inspires writers. By awarding prizes and running on-the-ground activities, it works in partnership with international literary organisations, the wider cultural industries and civil society to help writers develop their craft in the fifty four countries of the Commonwealth. www.commonwealthwriters.org is a forum where members from anywhere in the world can exchange ideas and contribute to debates.

As a development organisation, the Commonwealth Foundation decided to re-launch its prizes to focus entirely on emerging new voices. Forming part of Commonwealth Writers, the prizes act as catalysts to target and identify talented writers to spearhead on-the-ground work across the Commonwealth, creating environments where writers in the farthest places can flourish.

Lucy Hannah, Programme Manager (Culture) Commonwealth Foundation, said “We’re excited that in the first year of Commonwealth Writers we have a Book Prize winner who’s not from a country with a large, well established publishing industry and a Short Story Prize winner who’s just starting to get recognised. We congratulate both Shehan and Emma for a fantastic achievement and we’re looking forward to working alongside them in the future to help promote opportunities for writers in their regions.”

>> [Watch interviews with the prize winners]