Savin Edirisinghe is from Imaduwa, a once-village now caught between a town’s youth and a village’s old age—much like Savin himself, even though he is in his mid-twenties. He sells his soul to marketing by day and writes for his soul by night.

A proudly selfish and delightfully delusional English graduate, he wants the whole world to read his work and like it. Not necessarily agree with it. Just like it. He loves words—and the people who write them.

He also dabbles in Psychology, Sociology, and International Relations, wielding English like both a weapon and jewelry (unlike the popular Sinhala phrase).

He misses his Thaththa deeply. His dream? To get paid and praised (in that order) for lecturing others.

To sum it all up: selfish, delusional, too wordy, and fun to be around.

*Editor's note:Savin has been awarded the prestigious 32nd Gratiaen Prize. 

The Gratiaen Prize, founded by renowned author Michael Ondaatje, is Sri Lanka’s most esteemed literary award for creative writing in English. Savin’s win marks a significant milestone, not only for him personally but also for emerging Sri Lankan writers, particularly those navigating the unique space between Sinhala and English languages.

“Kata Katha: Gossip, Rumours, and Idle Talk” has been lauded by the jury as a witty, bold, and experimental collection that explores the premise of “Kata Katha” (gossip) as a cornerstone of civilization. The stories within the collection weave through absurd, magical, and irrational narratives, presenting a diverse cast of young characters with a clever balance of tragedy and satire.