Karunatilaka wins Booker Prize for ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’

In the UK, Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka has won the 2022 Booker Prize, worth £50,000 (A$90,250), for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (Sort Of Books).

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida tells the story of a war photographer who has woken up dead in what seems to be a celestial visa office. He has ‘seven moons’ to try and solve the mystery of his death and to help unveil a cache of photos that will rock war-torn Sri Lanka. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is Karunatilaka’s second novel; his debut, Chinaman (Random House), was published in 2011.

Chair of judges Neil MacGregor said any of the six shortlisted books would have been a worthy winner. ‘What the judges particularly admired and enjoyed in The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida was the ambition of its scope, and the hilarious audacity of its narrative techniques,’ MacGregor said. ‘This is a metaphysical thriller, an afterlife noir that dissolves the boundaries not just of different genres, but of life and death, body and spirit, east and west. It is an entirely serious philosophical romp that takes the reader to “the world’s dark heart”—the murderous horrors of civil war Sri Lanka.’

Karunatilaka was chosen as the winner from a shortlist of six announced in September. Last year’s winner was South African author Damon Galgut for his ninth novel The Promise (Chatto & Windus).

For more information about the award, visit the Booker Prize website.

Category: International news