Booker Prize 2022

The prestigious book prize is won by Shehan Karunatilaka, for his novel The Seven Moons of Maali.

It starts in the afterlife, which turns out to be bureaucratic and banal. When asked by the BBC how many hours he had spent reading novels for the prize, MacGregor said: "I've been doing it almost every week since early December... They then re-read those, before deciding on the final six, which they read for a third time. You need to try to make sure people think it's for them." Karunatilaka said as he accepted his prize: "My hope is that in the not too distant future... "I hope it's in print in 10 years... "But my wife said, can you not do that? Just leave it out." "I was in the process of publishing a collection of short stories when this incident happened, and I discovered a couple which I don't think was offensive to any religion," Karunatilaka said. if it is, I hope it's written in a Sri Lanka that learns from its stories, and that Seven Moons will be in the fantasy section of the bookshop, next to the dragons, the unicorns and will not be mistaken for realism or political satire." Head judge Neil MacGregor praised the "scope and the skill, the daring, the audacity and hilarity" of the novel, calling it an "afterlife noir" which "takes the reader on a rollercoaster journey through life and death". Camilla, the Queen Consort, presented the prize, and the author said it had been "an honour and a privilege" to be on the shortlist.

Judges described the Sri Lankan author's second novel as a 'rollercoaster journey through life and death' and praised its audacity and ambition.

The ceremony also paid tribute to [double-Booker winner Hilary Mantel](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/23/hilary-mantel-author-wolf-hall-dies), who died in September. [Shehan Karunatilaka](https://www.theguardian.com/books/shehan-karunatilaka) has won the Booker prize for fiction. [The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/aug/09/the-seven-moons-of-maali-almeida-by-shehan-karunatilaka-review-life-after-death-in-sri-lanka) comes more than a decade after his debut, Chinaman, which was published in 2011. She said speaking one-to-one with some of her favourite authors was “honestly better than any therapy session I’ve ever been to”. [Sri Lanka](https://www.theguardian.com/world/srilanka) in Tamil and Sinhalese. She said early obsessions included Roald Dahl and Malorie Blackman, “both of whom gave me little pearls of wisdom that still guide me today”. MacGregor said that although all six books on the shortlist were very different, “it became clear … The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is published by the independent press Sort of Books. The author has also written rock songs and screenplays. but executed with a humour and pathos that ground the reader”. He added: “Karunatilaka has done artistic justice to a terrible period in his country’s history.” MacGregor was joined on the judging panel by academic and broadcaster Shahidha Bari; historian Helen Castor; novelist and critic M John Harrison; and novelist, poet and professor Alain Mabanckou.

The Queen Consort, a long-term supporter of the prize, attended the event alongside Dua Lipa.

The author explained: “Despite having a grim history and a troubled present, Sri Lanka is not a dour or depressing place. The other shortlisted books were The Trees by Percival Everett, Oh William! They set up the company in 1999 to help their friend, Chris Stewart, launch his debut book, Driving Over Lemons. [Lipa hosts her own podcast](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/celebrity-blog-dead-can-dua-lipa-revive/), At Your Service, in which she interviews famous people from the worlds of fashion, music, literature and activism. She added: “Touring commitments take me all over the globe and life is often hectic. And, at these times, it is books that soften me.”

Writer Shehan Karunatilaka has won the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction on Monday for “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida.”

“And there the reader finds to their surprise, joy, tenderness, love and loyalty.” “Which is hardly surprising, given the current debates about history." Karunatilaka, one of Sri Lanka’s leading authors, won the 50,000 pound ($57,000) award for his second novel.

Born in 1975, Karunatilaka won the Commonwealth Prize for his debut novel Chinaman (2011), a clever chronicle of Sri Lankan history through the prism of cricket ...

Born in 1975, Karunatilaka won the Commonwealth Prize for his debut novel Chinaman (2011), a clever chronicle of Sri Lankan history through the prism of cricket. Maali watches his family grieving, coming up against corrupt police, as the novel roams widely to what Karunatilaka has called “the dark heart of the world.” Others, like me, wanted it to go to the American [Percival Everett for The Trees](https://inews.co.uk/culture/books/percival-everett-i-like-notebooks-with-glitter-and-unicorns-on-they-stop-me-taking-my-work-too-seriously-1789682?ico=in-line_link). It is narrated in the second person “you” voice by its eponymous protagonist who, at the beginning, wakes up dead. [Treacle Walker](https://inews.co.uk/culture/books/treacle-by-alan-garner-review-dont-be-surprised-win-booker-prize-shortlist-1897552). by Elizabeth Strout](https://inews.co.uk/culture/books/oh-william-elizabeth-strout-book-review-dazzling-best-lucy-barton-book-yet-1261028?ico=in-line_link) also had their supporters.

NoViolet Bulawayo, Percival Everett, Shehan Karunatilaka, Elizabeth Strout and Alan Garner complete the shortlist.

We specialise in gallows humour and make jokes in the face of our crises.” At a time when scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers and hired goons, the list of suspects is depressingly long. He wrote The Jam Fruit Tree in 1993, and he was one of the first who used the way Sri Lankans speak.” The Booker winner’s other influences include Douglas Adams, George Saunders and Kurt Vonnegut. 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. Shehan Karunatilaka has won this year’s Booker Prize for his novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, a blackly comic mystery set amid the murderous mayhem of his native Sri Lanka’s civil war in 1990.

Tonight, the 2022 winner of the Booker Prize, the biggest literary prize in the UK, will be announced in a ceremony hosted by comedian Sophie Duker and ...

[The Trees](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781644450642) (Graywolf Press) : 13/2 [Glory](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780525561132) (Viking) : 9/2 So who will win the £50,000, book sales, bragging rights, and chance to have their trophy presented to them by Her Majesty the Queen Consort in one of her first public engagements as such?

The 47-year-old follows Sri Lankan-born Michael Ondaatje who won the prize in 1992 for The English Patient.

When asked if Dua Lipa’s appearance was trying to reach out to younger audiences, Gaby Wood, director of the Booker Prize Foundation, said: “Our sense is that the Booker Prize is a living thing and … next to the dragons, the unicorns (and) will not be mistaken for realism or political satire.” Karunatilaka added: “My hope for Seven Moons is this; that in the not-too-distant future, 10 years, as long as it takes, SriLanka… “Unlike my protagonist Maali Almeida, I don’t gamble. “To make any longlist requires luck … The writer was praised by judges for the “scope and the skill, the daring, the audacity and hilarity” of his second novel.

Set in 1990 Sri Lanka during the country's civil war, the author's story follows gay war photographer and gambler Maali Almeida, who wakes up dead.

"I hope it is read in a Sri Lanka that learns from its stories and that 'Seven Moons' will be in the fantasy section of the bookshop and will... "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,” judges chair Neil MacGregor said of Karunatilaka's book. "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,” MacGregor added. "My hope for 'Seven Moons' is that in the not too distant future... Time is of essence for Maali, who has“seven moons” to reach out to loved ones and guide them to hidden photos he has taken depicting the brutality of his country's conflict. Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize on Monday for his second novel "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida,” about a dead war photographer on a mission in the afterlife.

New research identifies similar traits found in past winners of the fiction prize — so, who will take home the award tonight?

With a different panel of judges every year who set their own winning criteria, it’s fair to say that the Booker is hard to predict. Is this a random sample of fiction plucked from a highbrow friend’s bookshelf? No, it’s a few recent Booker winners.

The prestigious award was given to The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, which the judges hailed as "a searing, mordantly funny satire set amid the murderous ...

The 2022 Booker Prize was given to The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, written by Sri Lanka's Shehan Karunatilaka. The The annual award, which was given Monday evening in London, is for a work of fiction written in English and published in the U.K.

Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka has won the 50,000-pound ($86,000) Booker Prize, for his novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, a mix of satire, ...

because we set tend to appreciate the absurdity and the humour in it." And then I thought, 'What Sri Lanka needs is a great ghost story.' Because there's been plenty of other stories, but [not in that genre]. [was] a way to discuss this complicated political situation." But then I also realised that a ghost story … "And suddenly, I was called on to talk about cricket — but I wasn't really that much into cricket. "And so I thought: OK, I should do something completely different for my next trick.

Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka has won the 2022 Booker Prize with his novel The Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida.

When asked if Dua Lipa’s appearance was trying to reach out to younger audiences, Gaby Wood, director of the Booker Prize Foundation, said: “Our sense is that the Booker Prize is a living thing and … next to the dragons, the unicorns (and) will not be mistaken for realism or political satire.” Mr Karunatilaka added: “My hope for Seven Moons is this; that in the not-too-distant future, 10 years, as long as it takes, SriLanka… “To make any longlist requires luck … “Unlike my protagonist Maali Almeida, I don’t gamble. The writer was praised by judges for the “scope and the skill, the daring, the audacity and hilarity” of his second novel.

'The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida' author Shehan Karunatilaka is the second Sri Lankan-born writer to win the Booker Prize, after Michael Ondaatje.

[NoViolet Bulawayo](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2022-03-07/noviolet-bulawayo-glory-author-interview); “Small Things Like These,” by Ireland’s Claire Keegan; “Treacle Walker,” by English novelist Alan Garner; and two books by American authors: “ [Oh William!](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-10-19/review-only-elizabeth-strout-can-make-quiet-magic-out-of-operatic-plots-and-exclamation-points)” by Elizabeth Strout and “ [The Trees](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-09-28/review-percival-everett-the-trees-review),” by USC professor and novelist [Percival Everett](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-ca-percival-everett12-2009jul12-story.html). Karunatilaka is the second Sri Lankan-born author to win the Booker Prize following Michael Ondaatje, who won for “The English Patient” in 1992. “Touring commitments take me all over the globe and life is often hectic. “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. “So I went back 20 years, to the dark days of 1989.” BBC News Channel and BBC World News broadcast coverage of the ceremony.