Shehan Karunatilaka awarded DSC Prize for South Asia Literature 2012 for his Novel, Chinaman

Singapore-based Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka was awarded the DSC Prize for South Asia Literature 2012, at the Jaipur Literature Festival in Rajasthan on 21 January 2012. Karunatilka won $50,000 for his book Chinaman. The  novel explores cricket as a metaphor to uncover a lost life and a lost history.

The title of the novel, published by Random House, refers to a left-arm unorthodox spinner in cricket, often described as the chinaman. The legend of a Sri Lankan bowler Pradeep Sivanathan Mathew and the sport of cricket form the crux of this book.
The jury for the 2012 $ 50,000 prize included renowned literary figures Dr Alastair Niven, Dr Fakrul Alam, Faiza S Khan and Marie Brenner.

DSC Prize for South Asia Literature

The prize was instituted in January 2010 to celebrate writing that highlights the South Asian region, its people, culture and diaspora. Envisioned as a unique and prestigious award, the award recognizes theliterary works of authors across the globe writing on South Asia.

The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is one-of-its-kind in the region and aims at recognizing literary work that is redefining the understanding of South Asia across the globe.

DSC Prize for South Asia Literature 2011 was to HM Naqvi for his debut novel Home Boy (HarperCollins India).