Shehan Karunatilaka wins Booker Prize 2022 for ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ – Times of India

‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ by Shehan Karunatilaka is the story of a war photographer, who dies and later waked up dead at a celestial visa office. Here he has ‘seven moons’ to give a try and in turn solve the mystery about his death. In the process he also helps in unveiling a cache of photos that have a tendency to rock war-torn Sri Lanka.

Praising the Karunatilaka and his Booker-winning novel, Neil MacGregor, Chair of judges– Booker Prize 2022, said in a statement on their official website, “Any one 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. 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. And once there, the reader also discovers the tenderness and beauty, the love and loyalty, and the pursuit of an ideal that justify every human life.”

Shehan Karunatilaka was presented the Booker Prize trophy by the Queen Consort, Camilla at the ceremony.

Apart from being an author, Karunatilaka has previously worked as an advertising copywriter. He has also written songs, screenplays, and travel stories.

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