TOWARDS THE TRUTH
Shehan Karunatilaka
Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka discusses his life and literary adventures since winning the 2022 Booker Prize for his astonishing novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. Chaired by Kiran Dass.
Set in the ‘In Between’, this supernatural murder mystery recounts photographer Maali Almeida’s attempts to navigate a bureaucratic, crowded afterlife to uncover the truth of his murder. While the story is a satire that examines power and bureaucracy in the past, it is also an invitation to explore personal and political questions equally relevant today.
As master of Maali Almeida’s universe, Karunatilaka rarely divides people into a simple binary of heroes and villains. His characters are often flawed, selfish, frightened, or complicit in wrongdoing. Even sympathetic characters make questionable choices.
Maali is witty and charismatic, but he is also manipulative and ethically compromised. This is a rare opportunity to hear from an international Booker Prize winning writer about his creative process and how the written word can shine the light on the complexities of this world.
Note: Ahmed Osman is no longer able to participate. WORD Christchurch Programme Director Kiran Dass will now faciliate the conversation.
Shehan Karunatilaka
As well as winning the 2022 Booker Prize for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Shehan is also the author of Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, which won the 2012 Commonwealth Book Prize, as well as a short story collection, and five children’s books. His work has been translated into 36 languages. Alongside Becky Manawatu, Shehan is currently one of two Ursula Bethell Writers in Residence at the University of Canterbury.
Kiran Dass
Kiran Dass is a critic, writer and Programme Director at WORD Christchurch. She has written about music, books and culture for the New Zealand Herald, the Guardian, North & South, The Spinoff, Pantograph Punch, the Sunday Star-Times and many more. Kiran also reviews books regularly on RNZ’s Nine to Noon. ‘
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