Shehan Karunatilaka slams “insulting” claims by Rajpal over book

Author Shehan Karunatilaka has slammed what he terms as “baseless and insulting” claims made by journalist Rajpal Abeynayake over his Booker Prize winning novel ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka, a supernatural satire set amid a murderous Sri Lankan civil war, won the Booker Prize last month.

The?Sri Lankan writer?s novel?is about a photographer who wakes up dead, with a week to ask his friends to find his photos and expose the brutality of war.

Abeynayake, a former Editor, had claimed that the novel ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ was stolen from a manuscript he had emailed Karunatilaka in 2011.

Abeynayake had claimed that the manuscript was emailed to Karunatilaka in 2011 seeking the author’s endorsement.

However, Karunatilaka said that the claims of plagiarism is entirely unfounded.

Karunatilaka said that he has shared the manuscript with his publishers who confirmed there is no comparison whatsoever with his book.

“There are no shared plots, characters nor text,” Karunatilaka said.

Karunatilaka said that he has also shared the information with the Booker Prize Foundation.

Issuing a brief statement Karunatilaka said:

“A claim has been made by a journalist in Colombo that the plot of my novel, ?The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ was ‘stolen’ from a 56-page untitled ‘novella’ that he sent to me in 2011 seeking an author’s endorsement. His claim is both baseless and insulting.

“I have shared his email and the ‘novella’ manuscript with my lawyers who confirm that the claim of plagiarism is entirely unfounded and that the allegations made are libellous. I have also shared the ‘novella’ with my publishers – who confirm the texts bear no comparison whatsoever with my novel – there are no shared plots, characters nor text – and with the Booker Prize Foundation, so that they may be assured the claims are unfounded.

“I am deeply concerned that journalists in Sri Lanka are passing on these unsupported and unfounded allegations. I would ask that any journalist approached demands to see the document on which these allegations are based.

It is sad and disappointing that this statement has to be made. This should be a celebratory moment for Sri Lanka and its writers.?I will be making no further comment on this issue.” (Colombo Gazette)

Right of Reply:

Requesting for a Right of Reply to the article in the Colombo Gazette titled ?Shehan slams insulting claims by Rajpal over book? ? with Shehan?s full statement excerpted below the article ? Rajpal Abeynayake writes:

Shehan?s claim that this matter should not be brought up in a celebratory moment for the country?s writers is symptomatic of the sense of entitlement of a person who has no respect for the rights of others. It?s rich he has the audacity to say it, but what do you expect?

It?s like a drunk driver running over a man, and when told he?d be arrested replying: but it?s our celebratory moment – we were celebrating a Sri Lanka cricket victory ? how dare you say you are pressing arrest??

To clarify, it?s the huge sense of entitlement harbored by a person not used to doing things the proper way to say the very least.

Shehan Karunatillaka has contended that he sent my manuscript to various persons and was cleared of plagiarism. It?s his version and there is time to judge the veracity of that, also to say the very least. It?s also an easy way for him to seek to escape the heat he has created through his own injudicious actions. On the issue of his book ?Seven Moons of Mali Almeida? being plagiarized from my manuscript, I stand by my original position.