Sri Lankan author Anuk Arudpragasam is the winner of this year's DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for his book "The Story of a Brief Marriage", beating the likes of Aravind Adiga, Karan Mahajan and Anjali Joseph.
The jury said the novel is told in meditative, nuanced and powerful prose and marks the arrival of an extraordinary new literary voice.
The USD 25,000 DSC Prize was awarded to the winner along with a trophy by Bangladesh Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith on the concluding day of the Dhaka Literary Festival (DLF).
Ritu Menon, chair of the jury, said, "The jury met and discussed the shortlisted novels in detail. As all the shortlisted novels had considerable strengths and remarkable literary quality, deciding the winner was not an easy task."
She said the jury agreed that Arudpragasam was the best possible choice for his outstanding novel which is "impressive for its intensity and rich detail, and for exploring the tragic heart of war with such quiet eloquence."
"It is also a testament to the redemptive power of love, and to the human spirit's capacity for hope," she added.
"The Story of a Brief Marriage" is published by Granta Books.
The other shortlisted authors were Anjali Joseph for "The Living", Aravind Adiga for "Selection Day", Karan Mahajan for "The Association of Small Bombs" and Stephen Alter for "In the Jungles of the Night".
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