Author delves into Lanka’s tumultuous past; asks youths to remember country’s history

Mysore/Mysuru: Shehan Karunatilaka, the Booker Prize-winning author of ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida,’ has issued a call to the youth of Sri Lanka to delve into the country’s tumultuous past, marked by assassinations and bombings.

Karunatilaka made these remarks during a panel discussion on his book ‘From the Tear Drop Island with Wit, Violence and Magic’ at the Mysuru Literature Festival, organised by Mysuru Literary Forum Charitable Trust and Mysuru Book Clubs-2015,  yesterday. The Festival concluded on the second day at Hotel Southern Star yesterday, with media professional Dipti Kotian moderating the discussion.

Karunatilaka’s works are known for their blend of humour, satire and magical realism. He often explores themes of history, memory and identity in his writing. His work has been translated into over 20 languages.

His 2010 debut novel ‘Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew’ won the Commonwealth Book Prize, the DSC Prize and the Gratiaen Prize and was adjudged the second greatest cricket book of all time by Wisden. His third novel ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ (Sort of Books, 2022) was announced as the winner of the 2022 Booker Prize on Oct. 17, 2022.

During the discussion at the Literature Festival, Karunatilaka shared his perspective on various topics that arose. He expressed, “Many young people approach me with questions and concerns, and my advice to them is to delve into our nation’s history.”

Expanding on the premise of his book, where the protagonist, Maali Almeida, is a deceased photographer investigating the mystery of his own death, Karunatilaka stated, “I explored haunted houses and villages, as well as researched natural disasters like tsunamis, which have spawned stories of spirits and triggered psychological phenomena. Additionally, I delved into religious texts, concepts of rebirth and reincarnation.” Karunatilaka highlighted that unlike other forms of literature, fiction has the capacity to convey messages subtly. He revealed that he wrote and revised his Booker Award-winning book during the pandemic.

When asked about the potential threat of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or ChatGPT surpassing human writers in the future, Karunatilaka dismissed such possibilities, at least for now.

He also disclosed that Sinhalese and Tamil versions of his acclaimed book will be released soon, as it has already been translated into several languages.

In addition to his novels, Karunatilaka has also written short stories, screenplays and travelogues. He is a versatile writer who is not afraid to experiment with different genres and forms. He is a talented storyteller who is able to create vivid and memorable characters and his work is both entertaining and thought-provoking, and he is a welcome addition to the world of literature.