Colombo, Sri Lanka — V. V. Ganeshananthan wins the 2023 The Asian Prize for Fiction for her novel Brotherless Night, published by Random House. 

The Asian Prize for Fiction is one of the few prizes that does not limit submissions by geography and follows an inclusive process. Among the four literary prizes by The Asian Group, The Asian Prize for Fiction is distinct due to its screening process, which includes book clubs at all levels. This approach is founded on the belief that writers write not for their peers; rather, it is the readers who determine the success of books.

‘We don’t focus on events because, behind the decision, there are over 20 literary discussion events that involved avid readers, critics and literary enthusiasts from around the world,’ mentioned D N Dikwella, the Director -The Asian Prizes, The Asian Group of Literature.  

V. V. Ganeshananthan is also the author of Love Marriage, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize and named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post. Her work has appeared in Granta, The New York Times, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading, among others. A former vice president of the South Asian Journalists Association, she has also served on the board of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and is presently a member of the boards of the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies and the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop. She teaches in the MFA program at the University of Minnesota and co-hosts the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast on Literary Hub, which is about the intersection of literature and the news.

Brotherless Night, set against the backdrop of Sri Lanka’s civil conflict, is a historical fiction living in the present times- The Asian Review.

V. V. Ganeshananthan’s win in The Asian Prize for Fiction highlights her remarkable talent and connects her work to a vast global audience. This achievement not only celebrates her literary artistry but also unifies three different literary landscapes. Her work has garnered significant recognition, as evidenced by winning three esteemed prizes: the 2024 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction, and The Asian Prize for Fiction in 2023. This commendation speaks to the impact of her writing on readers around the world.

The Asian Group of Literature proudly congratulates V. V. Ganeshananthan on her remarkable and unifying victory for her timeless masterpiece, Brotherless Night. 

As a part of Prize, the Sinhala translations of V. V. Ganeshananthan’s complete work will be lauched in early 2025 by Subavi Publishers, an award-winning publishing house in Sri Lanka, specialised in literary translations. 

The Asian Prize for Fiction 2023 was hosted in Sri Lanka, and the second edition will take place in Canada. Books will be selected by Asian Review and its affiliated clubs. For the 2024 edition, a limited number of submissions will be accepted. Submissions will be open from December 21, 2024, to February 28, 2025. Only works of fiction that are traditionally published in 2024 will be eligible for submission, and submissions must come from publishers or agents.

Alexa Sanders