Booker Prize winning author Shehan Karunatilaka dismissed allegations of plagiarism raised against him by journalist Rajpal Abeynayake over his book ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’.
Abeynayake had accused Karunatilaka of stealing from a 56-page untitled ‘novella’ sent in 2011 seeking an author’s endorsement.
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.
(Curtesy Easwaran Rutnam)