On October 17, 2022, Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka achieved a historic literary milestone by winning the prestigious Booker Prize in London for his second novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. Set against the turbulent backdrop of late-1980s Colombo, the novel is a brilliant metaphysical murder mystery that follows Maali Almeida, a deceased war photographer navigating an afterlife celestial waiting room to solve his own death. Blending dark humor, supernatural Sri Lankan folklore, and sharp political satire, the judges praised the book as a work that dissolves boundaries between life and death while delivering an unforgettable message of humanity and courage.
Karunatilaka’s victory made him only the second Sri Lankan-born author in history to win the world’s most acclaimed English-language literary award, thirty years after Michael Ondaatje won in 1992 for The English Patient. In his inspiring acceptance speech delivered in Sinhala, Tamil, and English, Karunatilaka dedicated the honor to the people and storytellers of Sri Lanka. His triumph serves as an enduring inspiration for students and aspiring writers across the country, demonstrating that authentic Sri Lankan stories and voices possess the power to captivate readers across the globe.