Yes it’s official!, Sri lanka and New Zealand have produced the winners for this year’s Common Wealth Book prize and Short story prize respectively. Shehan Karunatilaka of Sri lanka authored Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, which was published by Vintage Publishing, Random House India while Emma Martin, New Zealand,wrote the short story titled ‘Two Girls in a Boat’. Shehan walked away with the cash prize of £10,000 while Emma had £5,000 in her kitty. The awards were presented at Hay Festival by the literary icon of our time Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

About the book, Margaret Busby, Chair, Commonwealth Book Prize stated thus :
“This fabulously enjoyable read will keep you entertained and rooting for the protagonist until the very end, while delivering startling truths about cricket and about Sri Lanka. Narrated by a retired hard-drinking sports journalist on an obsessive quest for the mysterious Pradeep Mathew, who may just be Sri Lanka’s best all-time cricketer... read more on http://9aijabooksandmovies./2012/06/09/shehan-karunatilaka-emma-martin-emerge-as-commonwealth-prize-winners-for-2012/