• Ramya Jirasinghe on winning the 2023 Gratiaen Prize

Saturday, 1 June saw Sri Lanka’s English language literary community crown a new shining star with Ramya Jirasinghe winning the 2023 Gratiaen Prize. 

Established in 1993 by renowned author Michael Ondaatje, the Gratiaen Prize honours the best in English creative writing by Sri Lankan authors. In the 30 years since its creation, the award has become a symbol of literary excellence and a beacon for aspiring writers in the country. 

Named after Ondaatje’s mother, Doris Gratiaen, the prize was created with the proceeds from his Booker Prize-winning novel ‘The English Patient’ with the hopes that it would form the base of a platform that could nurture future Sri Lankan writers to become Booker Prize winners – a dream that came to fruition last year when Shehan Karunatilaka (the 2021 Gratiaen Prize winner) won the 2022 Booker Prize for his book ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’. 

This year’s shortlist was hailed as one of the most competitive in the prize’s history, showcasing a spectrum of genres and themes that reflected the depth and diversity of contemporary Sri Lankan literature. 

The finalists included Pasan Jayasinghe’s reflective memoir ‘A Passing Return,’ which delves into personal and historical reflections; Selvi Sachithanandam’s multigenerational biography ‘Gnanam: Timeless Wisdom,’ chronicling the wisdom and resilience of a family through generations; Lal Medawattegedara’s satirical novel ‘When Ghosts Die,’ offering a humorous yet poignant critique of societal issues; and Vihanga Perera’s politically-charged narrative ‘Students and Rebels,’ which captures the spirit of youthful defiance and political activism. 

Amidst this fierce competition, Ramya Jirasinghe’s novel ‘Father Cabraal’s Recipe for Love Cake’ emerged as the winner. Her novel captivated the judges with its intricate narrative and evocative prose, set against the historical backdrop of a colonial fort in a fictional country that shares similar roots and tribulations to ours and interweaving themes of love, loss, and resilience. 

Fresh off her win, The Sunday Morning Brunch sat down with Ramya for a chat on ‘Father Cabraal’s Recipe for Love Cake,’ how she approaches writing, and more. 

“Winning the Gratiaen Prize has been an amazing experience,” Ramya shared of her feelings on being announced the winner, adding: “Humbled and honoured are the first two words that come to mind. I’m honoured to have won and humbled because there was stiff competition, and the panel of judges is always tough and this year was no exception. I’ve also been really touched and moved by the wishes I have been getting.”

Far from an overnight success

Ramya’s win is the result of many years of planning and editing, and having been shortlisted for the Gratiaen Prize before with her previous works makes her win this year particularly meaningful.

“I’ve been through a lot with the Gratiaen, having been shortlisted many times,” she said, adding that in order to keep composure, “you come prepared not to get it, so when you do win, it’s an extra blessing”. 

Her first brush with the Gratiaen came in 1998 and she remembers it feeling almost easy to get shortlisted back then. Today, with the competition more intense, Ramya emphasised that it was anything but easy, which was what made the recognition all the sweeter.

“I’ve been writing since I was 11 or 12,” she said of her literary origins, recalling: “I remember I used to contribute almost weekly to the children’s page of the Evening Observer, which of course is now no longer around.” 

Although she studied English literature and comparative literature, her passion for writing was independent of her academic pursuits. “Writing is something you grow into if you have a knack for it,” she said. 

But how does one write a prize-winning book? As with any creative art, there is no clear formula. For Ramya, however, it is consistency and dedication. “Writing is about dedicating time to it daily. For me, it’s crucial to put in at least an hour or two each day,” she explained. 

Like many writers, she balances her writing with other professional commitments, and therefore, making the time to write is very important to her process. “Many writers, including myself, balance writing with other professional lives, making it essential to manage time effectively,” she added. 

Baking ‘Father Cabraal’s Recipe for Love Cake’

‘Father Cabraal’s Recipe for Love Cake’ is a book that has been in the works for well over a decade. Ramya explained that the idea sprang forth from an entry she put together for the The Guardian newspaper’s Orange Prize for Fiction (known today as the Women’s Prize for Fiction). The brief was to write an opening paragraph for a novel titled ‘The Letting Go’. 

“There was one winner and two joint runners-up, of which I was one,” Ramya said of the outcome of her application, and the paragraph she wrote was what would become the base of ‘Father Cabraal’s Recipe for Love Cake’. “It set the entire stage really – the opening paragraph has the setting, one of the main characters, and the love cake. In a way, it was the whole setting of ‘Father Cabraal’s Recipe for Love Cake’ in a summary form.” 

Completing the novel was a journey in itself, and the movement restrictions of the pandemic’s first lockdown turned out to be a blessing in disguise when it came to giving Ramya the time to really focus on putting the book together. The road to finishing the book, however, was only just beginning and began, Ramya shared, as it always should, with finding an agent – something which proved to be a tedious process.

“You can never get published without an agent and finding an agent was a long and tedious process. I wrote to about 40 agents; it usually takes three months for them to review the book even if it is to say no (and most of them don’t even acknowledge receiving or rejecting your book),” she explained of the often disheartening process of trying to get a book completed and out there. 

“One agent wrote back and said they liked the book and so we began a full and stringent editorial process before seeking publishers. The editorial process took place from 2021 to early 2022 and actually took longer than the time I took to write the book itself.” 

The official blurb of ‘Father Cabraal’s Recipe for Love Cake’ reads: “In a tropical island fort built by a colonial trading company in the 18th century, a woman makes a cake as sweet as wild honey and as unforgettable as a great love. Yet, the events that have made her life in the fort possible are violent and unforgiving. During an insurgency, the past and the present interweave when a fugitive enters the woman’s house.”

The book itself dives into complex themes such as the lingering impact of colonialism, discrimination, and the extraction of resources. 

“The novel isn’t trying to communicate one message in particular,” Ramya shared. “The themes are about how our colonial past very much influences the lives of people in their own countries, from discrimination to the way our resources have been extracted from us to the privilege of different economic classes and how all that can link back to colonialism. It is set in a fictional country, but the setting is inspired by Galle Fort and runs across two timelines – one in the 17th century and one that is contemporary.” 

Beyond the Gratiaen

As Ramya continues her literary journey, she remains committed to her craft and to exploring new themes and narratives. Her victory with ‘Father Cabraal’s Recipe for Love Cake,’ while immensely gratifying, is but one step in a longer journey. 

Next, Ramya shared that she hoped to finally lock in a publisher and get the novel out to the public. But more immediately, she is working closely with the Mind Adventures Theatre Co. on producing ‘Water for Kings’ – her first stage play which is being directed and produced by Tracy Holsinger. The production is set to take place on 28 August. 

“‘Water for Kings’ is a poetic drama and is one that is extremely current,” Ramya said of the first stage play she has written. Its themes deal with the reckless use (and malicious misuse) of natural resources in a country where discrimination among its people is rampant and often used as a tool to hold power. 

First written by Ramya in 2010 during the Rajapaksa regime, a reading of ‘Water for Kings’ was held during the 2022 ‘Aragalaya’ because of the relevance of its themes to the broader struggle of the people. 

Writing a stage play was an enriching experience for her. “I learnt a lot from some workshops I did and other plays I had read. The stage is an entirely different space to write for,” she said. “In a poem, for example, you leave a lot to the reader to visualise, but for the stage, there always has to be some action, be it verbal or physical.” 

With all of this on the horizon, Brunch asked Ramya how she did it all; how she kept writing. The answer? She’s compelled to write. “Writers are a masochistic bunch, I guess. There are very few rewards to writing at the end of the day for most people. There’s no guarantee of money and there are hardly any prizes either; even then, what are the chances of winning those prizes? But in the end, they just put themselves through it because there’s something in them that compels them to write.” 

And this leads Ramya to her advice for aspiring writers: “Work at your craft and learn to take care of the small things, the things people don’t take care of – grammar, commas, things like that – you have to learn those things or get someone to teach you. 

“Work with a good editor and learn about industry standards – they’re very useful and they push you. In the proper publishing world, for example, a novel needs to be at least 65,000 words and a poetry book needs to be at least 45 pages. That is a substantial amount of work and knowing that means you push yourself to work to that standard.”