The Gratiaen Trust, together with John Keells Foundation, announced the winner of the 33rd Gratiaen Prize at a vibrant celebration of literary excellence held at The Studio, Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams Sri Lanka. This year saw a record number of entries, and the prize went to Visakesa Chandrasekaram for their outstanding work, The Son and the Lover. The announcement followed a thorough judging process that highlighted the depth and originality of today’s Sri Lankan creative writing in English.

This year’s shortlist included @#$%!Daham by Aneesha Ansar, Dear Father; The Refugee by Alan de Costa, God, Bangles and a Constitution by Anuththara Ekeli, In the Curve of the Smile by Uvini Atukorala, and The Son and the Lover by Visakesa Chandrasekaram.

The jury this year was led by V. V. Ganeshananthan, an internationally recognised author whose novel Brotherless Night won the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction. The other judges were Dinidu Karunanayake, Assistant Professor of English at Elon University, and Azara Jaleel, Editor-in-Chief of ARTRA Magazine.

V. V. Ganeshananthan, speaking about the winning work, said, “The Son and the Lover moved the jury with its startling intimacy, beauty, and bravery. Visakesa Chandrasekaram’s clear-sighted, profound depiction of the connection between two men stands with the best of Sri Lankan literature: imaginatively audacious, cinematically gorgeous, and emotionally honest. We congratulate him on the achievement of this book, which invites us to confront questions of how we love one another and what freedom and home can really mean. The Son and the Lover not only offers powerful writing, but also demands the best reading from us, and from a global audience."

Accepting the award, Visakesa Chandrasekaram stated: I would like to thank the Jury of the Gratiaen Prize and the trustees of the Gratiaen Trust. I would like to thank my fellow writers for continuing to share their stories with us. I would like to thank my mother, my sisters, and my friends for having faith in my work.

I am very proud to stand here as a gay man, a samakaami man. Isn’t it wonderful that I can say it here? But I live in a bubble, protected by my social status, my profession, and the very language that I am communicating with you in. Many of the people in my community are not so lucky. Like the Sword of Damocles hanging above our heads are the archaic colonial laws which prohibit our romantic expressions and acts.

Various political parties and successive governments have promised us on many occasions that they will abolish these oppressive laws, but they have kept postponing the erasure of these laws, saying that there are more problems to be solved. Our lives matter. Every year, month, and week that they take to erase these oppressive laws, people in our community live under constant fear of losing their livelihood, their shelter, their freedom, and even their lives. So what can we do? We have to keep telling our stories until they all realise that there are too many of our stories and there are too many of us. Thank you, and Happy Pride.

In his keynote speech, Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Chairperson of the Gratiaen Trust, spoke about the Trust’s thirty-three-year history. "Since 1992, the Gratiaen Prize has been more than an award; it has been an engine for cultural development. On behalf of the Trust, I wish to extend our warmest congratulations to every author who submitted their work this year; your courage to share your stories is what keeps our literary culture alive. We especially celebrate our winner, Visakesa Chandrasekaram, whose exceptional work has triumphed in a record-breaking year of competition. We have evolved from simply recognising excellence to actively nurturing it, and by bringing globally recognised writers into our classrooms and onto our stages, we are bridging the gap between local narratives and global publishing standards. We are ensuring that our writers are equipped to command attention on the world stage."

Carmeline Jayasuriya, Head of CSR and Senior Assistant Vice President at John Keells Holdings PLC, representing John Keells Foundation (JKF), the Primary Sponsor of the Trust, said, "We believe that a strong, cohesive society is built on the appreciation and celebration of its unique diversity. The record number of entries this year is a clear indicator of the enormous talent and enterprising spirit of our writers, underscoring the potential of Sri Lanka’s creative industries to empower both the artist and society as a whole. We remain committed to providing the platform necessary to ensure our creative talent is showcased and recognised both at home and abroad."

The official venue for the winners' announcement was Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams. Speaking about the partnership, Kamal Munasinghe, Senior Vice President, Colombo Hotels, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and General Manager, Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, said, “Since inception, we have believed that Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams should be more than a place to stay; it should be a space where ideas, art, and ambition meet. Our partnership with the Gratiaen Prize is a natural extension of that belief. For the second consecutive year, we are proud to stand with a platform that doesn’t just celebrate talent, but reveals it at the moment it is still becoming. That is where the most compelling stories begin, and we are pleased to continue being part of that journey.”

The Trust's other long-term partners include:   the British Council,  the Marga Institute,   Sarasavi, the Wijeya Group of Newspapers and the Sunday Times. To learn more about the Gratiaen Trust, visit www.gratiaen.com.

Michael Ondaatje established the Gratiaen Prize in 1992 using the prize money from his Booker Prize for The English Patient. Today, the Gratiaen Prize is still the top award for English creative writing in Sri Lanka. It continues to inspire writers and keeps Sri Lankan storytelling lively, important, and respected worldwide.

V. V. Ganeshananthan, Lead Jury and Author; Amendra Haputhanthri, Director, Sarasavi Bookshop; Winner 33rd Gratiaen Prize Visakesa Chandrasekaram; Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Chairperson of the Gratiaen Trust; Dinidu Karunanayake, Assistant Professor of English at Elon University; Azara Jaleel, Editor-in-Chief of ARTRA Magazine; Carmeline Jayasuriya, Head of CSR and Senior Assistant Vice President at John Keells Holdings PLC

Image Caption : Dinidu Karunanayake, Assistant Professor of English at Elon University;  British High Commissioner H.E. Andrew Patrick;  V. V. Ganeshananthan, Lead Jury and Author; Carmeline Jayasuriya, Head of CSR and Senior Assistant Vice President at John Keells Holdings PLC; Winner 33rd Gratiaen Prize Visakesa Chandrasekaram; Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Chairperson of the Gratiaen Trust; Sunethra Dias Bandaranaike; Azara Jaleel, Editor-in-Chief of ARTRA Magazine