AN ALL POETS’ GRATIAEN FINAL — THE FINAL FIVE IS OUT. WHO WILL RHYME TILL THE END??? GRATIAEN PRIZE 2008.

The shortlist for the Gratiaen Prize 2008 was announced on the 7th of April at the British Council Colombo. This year’s shortlist is total Ars Poetica — as, out of 56 entrants, 05 entries of poetry made it to the final showdown scheduled for the 26th of April.

The shortlisted were:

• Ramya Jirasinghe
• Chamali Kariyawasam
• Malinda Seneviratne
• Sumathy Sivamohan
• Vivimarie Vanderpooten

Out of the readings given on the occasion, the writer was captured by the engaging quality, the creative depth and the “freshness” in Sumathy’s writing. Malinda Seneviratne’s lines, too, carried the passion and the power which has been noted and acclaimed throughout his life’s work.

Vivimarie, who was the Head judge for the award last year, read from her Nothing Prepares You. This volume is supposed to be one of the “possessions” the renowned translator Indran Amirthanayagam took home back to Canada, following his visit to the elite Galle Literary Festival last January. http://indranamirthanayagam.blogspot.com/2008/01/decree-nisi-poem-by-vivimarie.html

This year’s panel consisted of Sinharaj Thammita Delgoda the historian, Maithree Wickramasinghe, the Linguist and Rama Mani, who is “out of the country” at the moment.

To learn more of Dr. Mani’s “absence”, follow http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2008/2/24584_space.html.

The shortlist will be deleted at the crowning of a winner (or, perhaps in accordence with a developping fad, maybe even two) on the 26th. And who would that be? I personally feel Sumathy and Malinda have a “creative edge” over the rest. But, with the Gratiaen prize, one would never know till the last card is cast and till the last speech is made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Malinda Seneviratne — passion and poetry meeteth and greeteth

Sumathy Sivamohan — cuts like glass.

Vivimarie Vanderpooten