The novelist on finding dark farce in his country’s civil war, his grunge band past, and the ‘lottery win’ of the Booker shortlist
Born in 1975, Shehan Karunatilaka is the Sri Lankan author of two novels. Chinaman (2010) won the Commonwealth book prize and was declared the second-best cricket book of all time by Wisden. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is set in war-torn Sri Lanka in 1989, and is about a dead war photographer trying to find out who killed him; last month it was shortlisted for the Booker prize (the winner will be announced on 17 October). Karunatilaka lived in London and New Zealand, among other places, before returning to Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital.
Congratulations on your Booker shortlisting. Why do you think The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida appealed to the judges so much?
That’s a tough one. I’ve been writing this book for some time, and each time the prizes roll on, I see the judges saying: “We prefer realistic fiction,” or “We prefer tomes.” So I stopped trying to guess. This year there’s a few satirical, magical books. I’m looking forward to meeting [the judges] and sucking up to them and saying nice things about their great taste.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka is published by Sort Of (£16.99). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply
