Sri Lankan author has been shortlisted for the prestigious International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2008

Sri Lankan author Yasmine Gooneratne has been shortlisted for the prestigious International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2008, for her book The Sweet & Simple Kind (Perera Hussein Publishing House, 2006). With high profile entries from across the globe, the Irish award is the largest and most international prize of its kind.
This much acclaimed novel was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize in 2007 - the first time ever that a book published in Sri Lanka made this prestigious award list. Gooneratne now has the distinction of being the first Sri Lankan ever to be shortlisted for the Dublin IMPAC award.
In the style of the roman-fleuve, the novel chronicles the heady years of the newly independent Sri Lanka of the 1950s and 60s, weaving a rich social tapestery of family turmoil, love and political chicanery as her fully fleshed out characters negotiate the pitfalls of language, religion, privilege and personal freedoms.
Yasmine Gooneratne was born in Colombo and educated in Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and Australia. Acclaimed as a critic and editor she has earned an international reputation as a pioneer in the field of Commonwealth Literature written in English. She has won many awards and prizes for her work. An Emeritus Professor of Macquarie University, NSW, she divides her time between Australia and Sri Lanka.