Five authors share prize money of Sinhala book prize

COLOMBO: Five Sinhala novelists shared the prize money of the inaugural Swarna Pusthaka award.

Awarded by the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association (SLBPA) to uphold the quality of Sinhala novel writing.

The books which won Rs. 100,000 each were ‘Kanda Pamula’ by Karunadasa Suriyarachchi (Publisher Dayawansa Jayakody & Co.), ‘Chandraratnage Bhavanthara Charikawa’ by Daya Dissanayake (Sarasavi Publishers), ‘Kindura Gosin Wetunai Pura Madulle’ by Karunadheera Alwis (Stamford Lake), ‘Gangthera Theraniya’ by Erawwala Nandimithra (S. Godage and Brothers) and ‘Tharu Bambasara’ by Rupa Sriyani Ekanayake (Suriya Publishers).

In the final round, the five-member eminent panel of judges comprising Professors Tissa Kariyawasam, Somaratne Balasuriya and K.N.O. Dharmadasa and writers K. Jayatilleke and Somaweera Senanayake, unanimously recommended against the awarding of the award to any one of the five short-listed works, resulting in the prize money of Rs. 500,000 being shared.