BAYAN by acclaimed Sri Lankan novelist Pramudith D. Rupasinghe awarded top Italian literary award.
August 2021, Santa Marinella, South Asian Author Pramudith D. Rupasinghe, has been awarded the prestigious Golden Aster Book, World Literary Award 2020 for "BAYAN", his mellow work of historical fiction set in Ukraine following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Bayan follows the life of a delightfully bizarre and sagely protagonist named Ivan Nikolayevich into his old age through memories, emotions and self-discovery. The word Bayan actually refers to a Ukrainian wind instrument like an accordion that demands considerable strength and dexterity to manage and complements its owner's strength, resilience, and joie de vivre. This writing is deep and meaningful, and its philosophy takes time to sink deeply in.
The "Golden Aster Book" world literary prize was instituted to highlight both famous and emerging writers and poets from all over the world. Awardees are selected from French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and English language writers. Others acclaimed writers in this year's shortlist included French writer Colette Mourey, Italian writers Mario Filocca, Gina Scanzani, and Salvatore Maiorana and Spanish writer, Claudia Gioron Bermudez.
Pramudith, who is from Sri Lanka, has combined his career as a humanitarian diplomat working in many parts of the world, with his passion for the art of cross-cultural storytelling to bring a number of his works to the international reader, including Footprints in Obscurity, Behind the Eclipse and Bayan. In Bayan, for example, his interpretation in the English language of what is essentially deeply Ukrainian/Russian culture and history, through the lens of a South Asian writer, has been deemed authentic and relatable to readers of any background. Bayan is wise, profound and atmospheric, a "'slow-read to be enjoyed with a cup of Chai in a relaxed setting" with a deeply calming psychological impact.
Pramudith's latest work in the pipeline is, The Girl Who Snatched the Moon, a story of the tireless endeavour in reclaiming the life of a girl fallen to the hands of human traffickers and sold to the world's largest brothel village Kandapara in Bangladesh. Pramudith continues with his writing, exploring without borders diverse stories on human resilience, giving voice to the voiceless, and making Asians and Sri Lankans proud of his contribution to humanity through powerful and meaningful narratives.
Bayan has been translated into Polish, French, German, Sinhala, and Burmese. The Russian, Ukrainian and Hindi translations are to be released soon. The book has also been reviewed by more than a hundred sites and magazines across the world.