The Gratiaen Nominations
Congratulations to the Gratiaen award 2009
winner who won last night!
With all due respect to the Gratiaen award winner last night, here we
publish the list of nominations announced on April 26 at the British
Council auditorium.
 The judges, Vijitha Fernando, Rohan Ponniah and Asoka De Zoysa said
they had a tough time selecting from a 52 submissions encompassing 29
novels, 8 poems, 9 short story collections, 5 collections of poems and
one non-fiction submission.
However, the judges did mention that there were no drama scripts
submitted this time and there were variations in language with the use
of Sri Lankan English prevalent. Furthermore, certain perspectives of
war like the Muslim voice were aspects which the judges commented and
hoped writers would be inspired to tackle in the future.
One might agree or disagree when the nominations were called as a
multitude of writers tackled various subjects. However, if you weren’t
nominated this time, don’t fret, better luck next time!
The shortlisted writers are:
1. The Whirlwind by Ayathurai Santhan - A gripping tale of IDPs
caught in a whirlwind of nothingness when they are trying to cope and
struggle with their situation.
2. Tangled Threads by Premini Amerasinghe - More Aunty-like style of
writing of generous description and archaic English presentation of how
it’s like to uncover diaries dog-eaten by silverfish and knowing how
your father did at university when the British had a ‘thing’ for Asians.
 3. Singing of the Angels by T. Arasanayagam - Another moving and
powerful tale in the post-war scenario which offers the reader a sense
of connection of how it would have been like for those caught in the
conflict.
4. The Mirror of Paradise by Asgar Hussein - A witty tale of satire
and how it can be watery-eyed when your wife’s cousins need a glass of
beer after a long test match!
5. Mythil’s Secret by Prashani Rambukwella - Growing up in a
conservative household, Mythil admires his grandmother telling him about
‘yakkas’ and adhering to auspicious times. |
