Novel by Sri Lanka's Shehan Karunatilaka wins Booker Prize
London (AP): Writer Shehan Karunatilaka won the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction for "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida," a satirical "afterlife noir" set during Sri Lanka's brutal civil war.
Karunatilaka, one of Sri Lanka's leading authors, won the 50,000 pound (USD 57,000) award on Monday for his second novel. The 47-year-old, who has also written journalism, children's books, screenplays and rock songs, is the second Sri Lanka-born Booker Prize winner, after Michael Ondaatje, who took the trophy in 1992 for "The English Patient."
Karunatilaka received the award from Camilla, Britain's queen consort, during a ceremony at London's Roundhouse concert hall.
The judges' unanimous choice, "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida" is the darkly humorous story about a murdered war photographer investigating his death and trying to ensure his life's legacy.
Karunatilaka said Sri Lankans "specialise in gallows humour and make jokes in the face of crises".
"It's our coping mechanism," he said, and expressed hope that his novel about war and ethnic division would one day be "in the fantasy section of the bookshop."
Former British Museum director Neil MacGregor, who chaired the judging panel, said judges chose the book for "the ambition, the scope and the skill, the daring, the audacity and the hilarity of the execution."
"It's a book that takes the reader on a rollercoaster journey through life and death, right to what the author describes as the dark heart of the world," MacGregor said. "And there the reader finds to their surprise, joy, tenderness, love and loyalty."
The winner was chosen over five other finalists: American authors Percival Everett for "The Trees" and Elizabeth Strout for "Oh William!"; "Glory" by Zimbabwe's NoViolet Bulawayo; Irish writer Claire Keegan's "Small Things Like These"; and "Treacle Walker" by British writer Alan Garner.
Karunatilaka paid tribute to his fellow authors on the 13-book longlist and six-book shortlist for the prize.
"It's been a hell of a ride, and I've been expecting to get off at each stop," he said.
The five-member jury read 170 novels before choosing a winner. MacGregor said all the books explored the actions of individuals in a world "where fixed points are moving, disintegrating."
He said "what's striking in all of them is the weight of history" from the legacy of racism in the United States to colonialism and repression in Zimbabwe and how that shapes the choices and actions of individuals.
"History as a player in contemporary politics is, I think, one of the things that emerges from most of the shortlist books," MacGregor said. "Which is hardly surprising, given the current debates about history."
"All these books show why it (history) has to be taught, addressed and discussed because otherwise we can't understand the framework within which people have to make the big choices, the essential choices, of their lives," he said.
Founded in 1969, the Booker Prize has a reputation for transforming writers' careers. It was originally open to British, Irish and Commonwealth writers but eligibility was expanded in 2014 to all novels in English published in the UK.
Last year's winner was "The Promise," by South Africa's Damon Galgut.
The event was the first fully in-person Booker ceremony since the pre-pandemic event in 2019 and the first for longtime literacy champion Camilla since her husband became King Charles III last month after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
The event also included a speech from singer-songwriter Dua Lipa about her love of reading, and a reflection from writer Elif Shafak on what the attack on novelist Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed onstage in August, means for writers around the world.
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
