Shehan Karunatilaka wins the 2022 Booker Prize for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, the second Sri Lankan author to do so

"We are all winners for being part of this magnificent shortlist though perhaps I might pocket the extra cash if that’s okay," reads an excerpt from Shehan Karunatilaka's acceptance speech as he picked up this year's Booker Prize for his fantasy satire The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. (read more on how we predicted his win back in July). 

A writer, ad man, and even a bassist for multiple bands, Karunatilaka becomes the second Sri Lankan writer to pick up the top literary prize that is awarded to English-language writers from the Commonwealth nations. The first time a Sri Lankan achieved this feat was when Sri Lankan-Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje won in 1992 for the historiographic The English Patient. A more recent case is that of Sri Lanka native Anuk Arudpragasam who made it to last year's shortlist for the philosophical novel A Passage North. 

Receiving the award from Camilla, the Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, Karunatilaka thanked his family, friends, and publishers and ended his speech with a special mention to all the journalists and civil rights activists who lost their lives in the Sri Lankan Civil War since 1990 (the year in which his novel is set). Namedropping the late journalist Richard de Zoysa (who was slain and abducted in 1990), he added how if he went on to individually offer the numerous lives that were lost at this time, the entire night might go on.

Lastly, he went on to conclude his speech with how he wished seeing his book and country in the future. 

Accompanied by a thundering applause, his final words involved him speaking in his native tongue Tamil (with a certain T20 reference that even the ceremony's host picked up) ending his speech with a ''nanri" (thank you in Tamil). 

Set in the midst of the chaos of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 1990, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida deals with the afterlife of the titular protagonist, a closeted war photographer. After his death, Maali still has seven moons left to find closure with the woman (and man) he loves and give them some photos that would change the course of the country's conflict. The book was praised for its surrealist take on a political crisis with the Booker jury describing it as "this is Sri Lankan history as whodunnit, thriller, and existential fable teeming with the bolshiest of spirits". 

This is Karunatilaka's sophomore novel following his successful cricket-centric debut Chinaman that was published in 2010. 

Held at London's Roundhouse, this year's ceremony was the first large-scale Booker event since 2019 as the pandemic prevented any physical ceremonies. The night was attended not only by the Queen Consort but also British popstar Dua Lipa who delivered a speech on her love of reading

Tributes were also offered to the late two-time Booker winner Hillary Mantel who passed away at the age of 70 last month. Mantel was famous for the Wolf Hall trilogy, a series of historical fiction novels set during the reign of King Henry VIII. 

All nominees barring Alan Garner (who would have been the oldest Booker winner if he won for Treacle Walker) were present at the event with Garner attending the ceremony virtually.