The Fairway National Literary Awards took place on Monday, 3 December at the Galle Face Hotel Jubilee Ballroom amidst much excitement and fanfare. Fairway Holdings have taken a special interest in identifying, honing, and honouring the literary talent within the country. The Fairway Creative Writing Workshop, which was held recently, is yet another proof of their interest in the upcoming authors of Sri Lanka. The award ceremony, now in its fourth year, was held for the first time in Colombo this year, following the previous three which were held in Galle, in alignment with the Galle Literary Festival. What makes the event so special is that it does not limit itself to just one language, but rather makes it its purpose to honour those who write in any of the three languages spoken in Sri Lanka. This year saw the submission of over 120 novels for all three languages. At the shortlisting event that took place in August, four books in English, five books in Tamil, and five books in Sinhala categories were chosen to be finalists. The event opened with being addressed by the Fairway Holdings Chief Executive Officer Imal Fonseka. He stated that the vision behind their venture was to create a community that appreciates and creates quality literary content that will help Sri Lanka make its mark even on an international level. The Chief Guest of the night was Prof. J. B. Disanayake, a key figure in the field of linguistics and in the Sinhala literary community. A former ambassador to Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, Professor Disanayake is an awardee of the Deshamanya title – the highest honour presented to a citizen of Sri Lanka. In his speech, he took the time to highlight the rich literary history of Sri Lankan beginning, from the monks and the kings. He highlighted the multilingual writers of the country who were fluent in not only Sinhala and Tamil but also Pali and Sanskrit. He regaled the tale of Faxian who travelled all the way to our island in search of some rare books, using it as an example of how literature is a wonderful way to bring fame to the country on an international level. As such he was a firm believer that the authors who were honoured there today would continue to bring glory to the country. English Category The contenders for this year’s English category were: Rao’s Guide to Lime Pickling by Sandali Handagama, The Chameleon by Seheni Hisara Kariyawasan, Stories by Charulatha Abeysekara, and Thewarathanthri Zeelam by Navin Weeraratne. The panel of judges for this category was made up of Prof. Dushyanthi Mendis, Dr. Ramya Jeerasinghe, and Tassie Seneviratne. Prof. Mendis, who read the citation for this category, explained that the aim of the judges was to choose a book that will set a benchmark for writing in the country and the larger South Asian region. However, she expressed disappointment that not much effort had gone into honing the craftsmanship of writing within the submissions. She also hoped that more effort would go into the editing process and called out to the publishers that they take note of the errors in grammar and language before publication. Winner – not awarded Tamil Category The contenders for the Tamil category prize were: Kattupol by Premila Pratheepan, Thottruponavargal by Seeman Pathinathan Fernando, Irathakkuliyal by Musdeen, Idipadum Kottaikal by N. Yogenthiranathan, and Panichaiadi Munmaariyum Sattakkinarum by A.M.S. Velazhakan. The judging panel for this category was made up of Dr. Pavithra Kailasapathy, Lareena Abdul Haq, and Muralitharan Mauran. Mauran, who was tasked with reading the citation behind the selection, explained that they had looked at language and the memorability of the writing, paying attention to how different it was from conventional writing. He especially noted that all of the submissions in this category spoke of the lives and culture of the places that the novels were set in. Winner - Thottruponavargal by Seeman Pathinathan Fernando Best Publisher – Varam Publications Sinhala Category This year’s finalists for the Sinhala category were: Aththani Kanu by Sepali Mayadunne, Warana by Padmini Senevirathne, Tharu Visula Reya by Aruna Premarathne, Deshadhrohiyage Nirmala Hardaya by Tharangani Rasika Fernando, and Balawa, Kandulu Ginigani by P.B. Jayasekara. The Sinhala category was judged by Dr. Jayalath Manorathna, Prof. Somaratna Balasuriya, and Jayalatha Medawatta. Dr. Manorathna, who read the citation for this category, explained that it was no easy task to pick a winner due to the sheer number of Sinhala submissions that amounted to 109. Nevertheless, he said that special attention was paid to the writing style of the authors in order to find something that truly set them apart. As with the English category, he too made a call for caution when it came to editing, saying that most books often felt “too raw”. Winner – Tharu Visula Raya by Aruna Premarathne The winners were awarded cash prizes of Rs. 500,000 by the Chief Guest and the Fairway Holdings Group Chairman Hemaka de Alwis. The other shortlisted winners were also honoured with awards and cash prizes of Rs. 100,000. Fairway National Literary Awards boasts the largest monetary gifts for an event of this sort within the country in an effort to subsidise the cost of publication, which is no easy task in a country like ours. It was also explained that care had gone into choosing the judging panel, with an academic, a creative mind, and an informed reader being present in every category, so that an unbiased and unanimous decision would be made. The event was decorated with various traditional dances and the voices of the Soul Sounds Choir. The night ended with the vote of thanks delivered by Fairway Holdings Deputy Chairman Kavindya Dias-Abeysinghe. Photos Pradeep Dambarage