The Gratiaen award, which is awarded to the best work in English by a Sri Lankan writer, was won by Charulatha Abeysekara Thewarathanthri for 2016.
This novel will be launched on the 5th of August, 2017, at Sooriya Village, Colombo 5.
Charulatha was educated at VisakhaVidyalaya and obtained a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Moratuwa, but opted to be a teacher. She taught Mathematics and Physics to London A/L students, first for a year at British School on Colombo, and then for eight years at S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia, until resigning in 2011. She is today a happy homemaker and mother of four, engaging in her favourite pastime, writing.
She had written poetry since childhood, but only tried her hand at fiction writing in 2009. Her first manuscript, ‘Autumn Leaves’ was shortlisted for the Gratiaen Award for 2011.
Charulatha is the daughter of author Pushpa Meewella and writer/filmmaker Tissa Abeysekara.