USA (Commonwealth Union)_ Asian American author VV Ganeshanathan has won the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction for her novel “Brotherless Night.” This poignant narrative, about a family fractured by the Sri Lankan civil war, secured a £30,000 cash award and the prestigious “Bessie” bronze statuette for the Sri Lankan-origin writer. Monica Ali, chair of this year’s jury, lauded the novel, stating that Brotherless Night is an excellent, compelling, and profoundly touching work that clearly narrates the personal and epic tragedies of the Sri Lankan civil war.
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Ali praised Ganeshanathan’s ability to evoke a vivid sense of time, place, and a memorable cast of characters with her rich prose. She commended the author’s commitment to complexity, moral inquiry, and captivating storytelling, declaring “Brotherless Night” a masterpiece of historical fiction. Prior to this accomplishment, “Brotherless Night” also clinched the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction at the beginning of the year.
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Ganeshanathan is a professor at the University of Minnesota who specializes in teaching fiction and nonfiction and also co-hosts the Lit Hub Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast. She has previously garnered acclaim for her literary endeavors. Her debut novel, “Love Marriage,” which delves into the lives of two Tamil families, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize (formerly the Orange Prize) in 2009.
Born and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Ganeshanathan grew up immersed in stories from her parents’ native Sri Lanka, alongside literary classics like “Anne of Green Gables.” Her parents migrated to the United States in the 1970s for professional reasons. However, they were unable to return to Sri Lanka due to the escalating internal civil war. Her father was a specialist in pediatric pulmonary care, while her mother worked as a Montessori nursery teacher.
Beyond her literary achievements, Ganeshanathan has held roles as vice president of the South Asian Journalists Association and has served on the boards of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies, and the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop. Meanwhile, the inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction was bestowed upon Naomi Klein for her book “Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World.” Accordingly, Klein was granted a £30,000 cash prize and the “Charlotte” artwork. The book was lauded as a compelling critique of polarizing trends in American and global politics, woven around a relatable personal narrative.
