Vajra Chandrasekera | |
|---|---|
 Chandrasekera, 2023 | |
| Born | August 17, 1979 |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Genre | fantasy novel, short story, short story, poetry |
| Notable awards |
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| Website | |
| vajra | |
Vajra Chandrasekera is a Sri Lankan author known for his fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels. His debut novel, The Saint of Bright Doors , won the 2023 Nebula Award for Best Novel.
Chandrasekera was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka. His father was a writer. [1] His first job at the age of eighteen was "writing fake product reviews of computer hardware." He later became a non-fiction editor in Sri Lanka. [1]
In 2012, he published the poem "Jörmungandr" in Ideomancer . He followed this with the 2013 short stories "Pockets Full of Stones" in Clarkesworld Magazine and "The Jackal's Wedding" for Apex Magazine . [1] [2]
In 2023, Chandrasekera published his first novel, The Saint of Bright Doors . [3] Amal El-Mohtar, in a review for The New York Times , described the novel as the best book of the year. [4] Jake Casella Brookins, for Locus , described the book as "truly superb" with rich cityscape details and deep investigations of the writing of history and the desire for revolution. [5] Both reviewers noted the novel's stretching of the fantasy genre. [4] [5] Publishers Weekly described the book as "lyrical but sluggish." [6]
In 2024, Chandrasekera published the novel Rakesfall. [3] It focuses on the reincarnations of Annelid and Leveret through a set of tales in a mixture of perspectives, genres, and plotlines. The book begins with the friends' youth during the fallout of the Sri Lankan civil war. [7] Madeline Schultz, for the Chicago Review of Books , praised the book's unique exploration of colonialism and imperialism, but critiqued the descriptions and disorientation between episodes. [8] New York Times and Publishers Weekly reviews noted the book's challenge and payoff, with Publishers Weekly praising the book's lyricism. [3] [7] Ian Mond, for Locus, said the book's many sections could leave a reader "bewildered," but the ideas and exploration of Sri Lankan colonial history compelled readers forward. [9] Helena Ramsaroop, for Strange Horizons , wrote that Rakesfall compellingly shows grief and hope in the pursuit of liberation. [10]
Chandrasekera has placed himself in the New Wave, New Weird, and slipstream literary movements, as well as the blended-genre term science fantasy. [2] [11]
Chandrasekera's novel The Saint of Bright Doors won the Nebula Award for Best Novel of 2023, [12] the 2024 Crawford Award, [13] and the 2024 Ignyte Award for Outstanding Adult Novel. [14] It was a finalist for the 2024 Hugo Award for Best Novel. [15]
Chandrasekera's was an editor for Strange Horizons during the six consecutive years that it was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine. [1]
His novel Rakesfall was a winner of the 2024 Otherwise Award [16] and the 2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize. [17] It was nominated for the 2024 Nebula Award for Best Novel [18] and 2025 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. [19]