Commonwealth Book Prize winners named

The 2012, Commonwealth Book Prize winner was named on Tuesday, and it is Shehan Karunatilaka of Sri Lanka.

He won the Sterling Pound 10,000 prize for his book,Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, published by Vintage Publishing, Random House India.

Shehan was born in Galle, Sri Lanka. He studied Business and Administration at Massey University in New Zealand, after which he worked as an advertising copywriter. He has also written rock songs and travel stories.

Margaret Busby, the chair of the prize said of the book: “This fabulously enjoyable read will keep you entertained and rooting for the protagonist until the very end, while delivering startling truths about cricket and about Sri Lanka."

The story is narrated by a retired hard-drinking sports journalist on an obsessive quest for the mysterious Pradeep Mathew, who may just be Sri Lanka’s best all-time cricketer.
"Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew sets the standard high for the new Commonwealth Book Prize, which aims to discover new talent and energise literary output in the different regions," said Ms Busby.
Shehan was equally ecstatic about his win: "I was surprised to make it to the final five, considering how strong the Asia shortlist was. To win it is quite crazy. Now I just need to find a pub in Wales that serves arrack. It's a privilege to be part of a global prize that has recognised so many great writers over the years. I feel deeply honoured.”
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize went to Emma Martin of New Zealand, for her story, Two Girls in a Boat.
According to Bernardine Evaristo, the chair of the prize, the story was chosen "for its gorgeous, elegant and spare writing; its nuanced handling of time, place and relationships; its daring, provocative subject matter and clear-eyed exploration of the choice of heterosexual conformity in the face of sexual mutability."
Emma is yet to publish a book although she completed an MA in Creative Writing at the Victoria University of Wellington in 2010. However, her stories and essays have been published in literary journals and anthologies in New Zealand and the UK.
The awards were presented at the Hay Festival by the multiple prize-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

The regional winners for the Book Prize were as follows.

Regional Winner, Africa
Jacques Strauss, South Africa, The Dubious Salvation of Jack V, Jonathan Cape

Regional Winner, Asia
Shehan Karunatilaka, Sri Lanka, Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, Random House

Regional Winner, Canada and Europe
Riel Nason, Canada, The Town that Drowned, Goose Lane Editions

Regional Winner, Caribbean
Alecia McKenzie, Jamaica, Sweetheart, Peepal Tree Press

Regional Winner, Pacific
Cory Taylor, Australia, Me and Mr Booker, The Text Publishing Company.