The shortlist for the Gratiaen Prize 2019 was announced at an online event last week (June 20). The short-listed writers are, Andrew Fidel Fernando for the travelogue “Upon a Sleepless Isle”, Praveen Jayamanne for his novel “The Double Doorway”, Upali Mahaliyana for the novel “Tom-tom Boy”, and
Vihanga Perera for his book of poems titled “Sentimental Pieces /The Private Funeral /The Classical War”.
The judges for the Prize are, Minoli Salgado, Professor of International Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, who is herself an award-winning novelist, Jake Oorloff, a creative writer and theatre director, and Tara Coomaraswamy who is an avid reader with a keen interest in literature and fine arts. Their detailed bios can be found on the Gratiaen Trust website.
The event was livestreamed concurrently on their official Facebook page of the Gratiaen Trust and John Keells Foundation. The Gratiaen Prize 2019 is the first award event to be presented under the Gratiaen Trust’s new partnership with John Keells Foundation – the CSR entity of the John Keells Group - following the Primary Sponsorship Agreement entered into between the parties in October 2019. This partnership falls within John Keells Foundation’s focus area of Arts & Culture aimed at nurturing the livelihoods of artists towards safeguarding and promoting Sri Lankan arts and culture under its overall vision of ‘Empowering the Nation for Tomorrow’.
A panel discussion with the short-listed writers, moderated by Smriti Daniel, was held on June 27 at 6.30 p.m. on the FB page of the Gratiaen Trust and John Keells Foundation. The announcement of the winner of the Gratiaen Prize 2019 will be made on July 4 at 6.30 p.m. on the same online platforms.
All are invited to the online panel discussion and the main prize announcement event.