Learning to Fly longlisted for the Dublin Impac Prize, 2009.

Sri Lankan author Shehani Gomes has been nominated for the prestigious International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2010 for her first novel, Learning to Fly published by the Perera- Hussein Publishing House. She was formerly short-listed for Sri Lanka’s prestigious Gratiaen Prize for the same novel.
Learning to Fly touted as a bittersweet coming of age story, deals with many contemporary issues encountered by young adults. Educated at St. Bridget’s Convent, Shehani Gomes now works as a Management Consultant at an environmental finance firm based in Colombo. She is currently working on her second novel.
The Award committee announced that 156 titles have been nominated for the € 100,000 award. The 156 authors come from 46 countries. The books span 18 languages, 41 of which are translated from languages such as Arabic and Chinese. 33 of them are first novels. It is the world’s most valuable annual literary prize for a single work of fiction published in English. Refer their website www.impacdublinaward.ie for a full list of long-listed titles.
Previous Perera-Hussein authors who have gained recognition in the Dublin IMPAC have been David Blacker’s thriller A Cause Untrue which was long listed and Yasmine Gooneratne’s epic novel The Sweet and Simple Kind which was short-listed for the celebrated prize. Learning to Fly is available from all bookshops island-wide at Rs.600.