The 16th Godage National Literary Awards Ceremony 2014

by Husna Inayathullah

The 16th Godage National Literary Awards Ceremony was held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute Auditorium recently. Prof. Walter Marasinghe graced the occasion as the chief guest.

Eminent writers such as Prof. Wimal Dissanayake, a leading scholar of Asian cinema, Prof. S. Maunaguru, a great innovator in the Tamil cinema and Prof. D.C. R. A. Goonetilleke, Emeritus Professor of English University of Kelaniya and celebrated critic of the 20th century and post-colonial literature won Godage Lifetime Literary Award in Sinhala, Tamil and English media.

The honorary awards, certificates and cash awards were presented for the best novel, short story and poetry anthologies published in Sinhala, Tamil and English.

Mariam Reeza was awarded the Regi Siriwardena Memorial Award and a cash prize of Rs. 25,000 for the best short story collection. Kamani Jayasekara was awarded the Lakdasa Wickremasinghe Memorial Award and a cash prize of Rs. 25,000 for the best poetry collection in English.

The award for the emerging writer in English for 2013 was given to Palitha Ranathunge for his poetry collection Shifting of my paradigm.

Tamil and Sinhala language writers too won awards at the annual awards ceremony organised by the Godage Publishers.

The keynote address at the ceremony was delivered by Prof. Rathnasiri Arangala and the guest lecture in Tamil by Dr. T. Gnanasekaran. Prof. Rathnasiri Arangala said, "Books are the most precious things to be spoken of in this month of September. We are really thankful for the Godage Brothers for organising and conducting this award ceremony each year. We are thankful to Deshabandu Sirisumana Godage for taking the interest and responsibility to respect and award the literati of Sri Lanka.

"This festival creates unity and harmony among the ethnicity. Literature paves way for the development of interaction in between communities."