THE MULTIFACETED WRITER SHEHAN KARUNATILAKA A Storizen Exclusive Feature

Storizen celebrates Srilankan Author Shehan Karunatilaka for the indigenous achievement of his latest novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida which recently won the Booker Prize 2022. It takes immense pleasure to introduce our readers to one of the realistic author who writes incredible stories based on true incidents.

- Pria, Swapna Peri

Shehan Karunatilaka is considered one of Sri Lanka's foremost authors. He was born in Galle, Sri Lanka, in 1975, grew up in Colombo, studied in New Zealand, and has lived and worked in London, Amsterdam, and Singapore. He currently lives in Sri Lanka. His literary life started with songs, scripts, and stories. All of his initial works were published in Rolling Stone, GQ, and National Geographic. Shehan also for some time worked as an advertising copywriter. Apart from being a writer, he also plays guitar and was a part of the Independent Square band.

Shehan Karunatilaka's footsteps were set on to the global literary stage in 201. In that year he won the Commonwealth Book Prize, the DSL, and the Gratiaen Prize for his debut novel, Chinaman, which was also declared the second-best cricket book of all time by Wisden. Chinaman book is considered one of those books written by a Srilankan author that touches on the aspects of brain drain to corruption and to civil war. The story is about WG Karunasena, a cricket journalist and a heavy alcoholic who is given only a year to live. He then decided to make a documentary on Srilankan cricket. What happens next is the story. This book has been revving up with reviews for many years. It was well received by readers all over the world.

Shehan Karunatilaka with Britain's Queen Camilla (Source: Royal.UK website)

Now, his second novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, was announced as the winner of the Booker Prize 2022 on October 17 at a ceremony in London.

Shehan Karunatilaka’s The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is set in Colombo, in 1990. It is the story of Maali Almeida, a war photographer, a gambler, and a transvestite. He wakes up dead in a visa office set in the space.