Booker winner. Writer of punchlines, manifestos, and calls-to-action. Failed cricketer, failed rockstar, failed vegan. Observer of people, machines and markets.
Does not know how to use semi-colons; and unable
to spell diarrhoea without assistance.
Shehan has published two novels and three children's books,
including Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew,
winner of the 2012 Commonwealth Book Prize, and
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, winner of
the 2022 Booker Prize.
He’s also written features on sport, music and travel
for The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Wisden, GQ, Conde Nast
and National Geographic.
He has over 20 years’ experience working for ad agencies,
tech firms, media houses, start-ups and multinationals across Singapore, London, Colombo, Sydney and Amsterdam.
NEWS
Four Bookers meet on a beach.
Once upon a time, 4 Bookers met on Treasure Beach for Calabash International Literary Festival.
"We’re excited to have @thebookerprizes winners: Marlon James (2015), Shehan Karunatilaka (2022), Ian McEwan (1998) and Michael Ondaatje (1992) as participants - reasoning and reading."
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Seven Moons wins France’s Emile Guimet Award.
The Musée Guimet awarded the eighth annual Émile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature to Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka for his novel “Les sept lunes de Maali Almeida” (The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida).
The novel, originally written in English and translated into French by Xavier Gros, was published by Calmann-Lévy. The award comes 18 months after its publication in France, highlighting the enduring impact of Karunatilaka’s distinctive narrative about a war photographer murdered during Sri Lanka’s civil war who embarks on a mission in the afterlife.
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the Booker prize
Read the Reviews
A selection of the reviews from the Booker Prize 2022.
"Witty, inventive and moving"
"Executed with a humour and pathos that ground the reader."
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EVENTS
11 NOV '22 - SHARJAH BOOK FAIR, uae
4 dEC '22 - BANGALORE LITERATURE FESTIVAL
20 DEC '22 - NEPAL LITERATURE FESTIVAL
4 JAN '23 - DHAKA LIT FEST
12 JAN '23 - KERALA LITERATURE FESTIVAL
23 JAN '23 - JAIPUR LITERATURE FESTIVAL
25 JAN '23 - KOLKATA LITERARY MEET
2 FEB '23 - MBIFL, KERALA
10 FEB '23 - TIMES OF INDIA LIT FEST, DELHI
17 FEB '23 - KARACHI LITERATURE FESTIVAL
25 FEB '23 - LAHORE LITERARY FESTIVAL
5 May '23 – Melbourne Writers’ Festival
11 May '23 – Brisbane Writers’ Festival
21 May '23 – Auckland Writers’ Festival
24 May '23 – Byron Bay Writers’ Festival
26 May '23– Sydney Writers’ Festival
17 June '23– Gratiaen Prize Event, Colombo
26 JUNE '23- BRADFORD LITERATURE FESTIVAL
27 JUNE '23- LORDS ASHES DINNER
2 JULY '23- MYSURU LITERATURE FESTIVAL
27 AUGUST '23- EDINBURGH LITERATURE FESTIVAL
4 SEPT '23- FT FESTIVAL, LONDON
7 SEPT '23- FESTIVALETTERATURA, MANTOVA
11 SEPT '23- TURIN READINGS
12 SEPT '23- INTERNATIONALES LITERATURFESTIVAL BERLIN
14 SEPT '23- ATHENS READINGS
27 SEPT '23- FNAC LISBON
22 OCT '23- UBUD WRITERS AND READERS FESTIVAL
15 NOV '23- SILK ROAD SLIPPERS MASTERCLASS
26 nov '23- booker prize ceremony
29 NOV '23- FOYLES WITH PAUL LYNCH
29 JAN '24- GALLE LITERARY FESTIVAL
8 FEB '24- NYU ABU DHABI
12 FEB '24- CEYLON LITERARY FESTIVAL
16 march '24- umea litfest, sweden
28 june '24- kellogg college, oxford
29 june '24- ely arts festival, cambridge
12 Sep '24- HUM Global, copENHAGEN
29 sep '24- South Asian Literature and Art Festival, usa
1 oct '24- Georgetown University, washington dc, usa
5 oct '24- UNIVERSITY OF virginia, CHARLOTTESVILLE, usa
7 oct '24- university of elon, north carolina, usa
15 oct '24- university of kenyon, ohio, usa
23 oct '24- icca congress, abu dhabi
2 nov '24- bookbedonnerd, sOUTH AFRICA
11 nov '24- singapore writers festival, singapore
13 APR '25 - SURREAL CONTINUUM, BERLIN
25 APR '25 - LITERARY TALKS SOFIA, BULGARIA
24 MAY '25 - CALABASH FESTIVAL, JAMAICA
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AUTHOR
Shehan writes about forgotten cricketers, drunk old men, war photographers, chatty ghosts, self-driving cars and time travellers. His stories are absurd and mostly true.
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In 2022, a short story collection, The Birth Lottery and other Surprises was published by Hachette India, while his Booker-winning novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is published by Sort Of Books-UK, WW Norton & Company-US, and in 36 languages worldwide. His debut screenplay for 800: The Murali Story was filmed in 2022 and released worldwide on Amazon Prime.
FOR BOOKINGS
Events and literary festivals
MEDIA REQUESTS
UK and Ireland – Ruth Killick publicity@ruthkillick.co.uk
India – Peter Modoli pmodoli@penguinrandomhouse.in
Sri Lanka – Aitana Gunaratne sureni.gunaratne@gmail.com
Australia – Ali Hampton alih@allenandunwin.com
New Zealand – Abba Renshaw AbbaR@allenandunwin.com
South Africa – Nompumelelo Mgidlana
Nompumelelo.Mgidlana@jonathanball.co.za
Singapore – Amnah Tan th@apdsing.com
US – Erin Sinesky Lovett ELovett@wwnorton.com
Rest of World – assistant@davidgodwinassociates.co.uk
"The truth rarely goes viral, but catchy songs often do."
- The Birth Lottery and Other Surprises
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"I've been from ella to valhalla, but haven't found a word that rhymes with udalla."
- Please Don't Put That In Your Mouth
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Copywriter
Shehan has worked for ad agencies, tech firms, media houses, start-ups and multinationals across Singapore, London, Colombo, Sydney and Amsterdam. He’s written commercials, radio spots, ads, websites, digital strategies, activation campaigns, social posts, brochures and manifestos for the likes of BBH, Facebook, Iris, Havas, McCann, BBDO, Dentsu, Grey, Y&R, Bates and JWT.
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"We haven't changed the guards in 1500 years."
- Sri Lanka Tourism Ad
Clients &
Collaborations
