Seneka Abeyratne is a Sri Lankan writer, playwright, retired economist and multidisciplinary artist whose work includes fiction, drama, photography, digital art, contemporary dance and piano music. He was a joint winner of the 2006 Gratiaen Prize for his play Three Star K and received the State Literary Award for Drama in 2008 for Three Star K and Other Plays.[1][2]
Literary career
Abeyratne’s first novel, Fragments of a Fugue, was published in London in 1992 under the pseudonym Monoceros. The manuscript had been shortlisted for the inaugural Gratiaen Prize in 1993.[1][3] His later novels include Asmita, published in New York in 2017 and subsequently in Sri Lanka, Alter Ego (2024), and The Dirty Half Dozen (2025).[4][5]
His short-story collection The Beast and Other Stories was published in Sri Lanka in 2023. The manuscript was longlisted for the 2018 Gratiaen Prize.[6][7]
Abeyratne has also written for the stage. His play Three Star K was a joint winner of the 2006 Gratiaen Prize.[1] It was subsequently included in the collection Three Star K and Other Plays, which received the State Literary Award for Drama in 2008.[2]
His screenplay Temptation was published in Sri Lanka in 2011.[8]
Selected works
Novels
· Fragments of a Fugue (London, 1992), published under the pseudonym Monoceros
· Asmita (New York, 2017; later published in Sri Lanka)
· Alter Ego (Sri Lanka, 2024)
· The Dirty Half Dozen (Sri Lanka, 2025)
Short stories
· The Beast and Other Stories (Sri Lanka, 2023)
Drama
· Three Star K and Other Plays (2008)
Screenplays
· Temptation (Sri Lanka, 2011)
Awards and recognition
Fragments of a Fugue was shortlisted for the inaugural Gratiaen Prize in 1993.[1,3] The prize, established by Michael Ondaatje, recognizes noteworthy creative writing in English by Sri Lankan writers.[1]
Abeyratne was a joint recipient of the Gratiaen Prize in 2006 for Three Star K.[1]
In 2008, Three Star K and Other Plays received the State Literary Award for Drama.[2]
The Beast and Other Stories was longlisted for the 2018 Gratiaen Prize.[6]
Alter Ego won the 2025 Godage National Literary Award for the best English novel.[21]
Photography and digital art
Alongside his literary work, Abeyratne has worked in photography and digital art. His photographs and digitally modified images have been exhibited in Sri Lanka and France.[9][10]
In 2011, an exhibition of twenty black-and-white photographs titled The Galle Ramparts was presented at Casa Serena Art Gallery in Colombo with the collaboration and support of the Alliance Française de Kotte.[9]
His photographic work was also featured in the 2013 French Spring Festival in Sri Lanka. The exhibition From Mirissa to Bouzigues presented photographs of two coastal communities: Mirissa in southern Sri Lanka and Bouzigues in southern France.[10][11]
His photography publications include Facets of Wewala (2007).[9]
Dance and choreography
Abeyratne trained in classical ballet and later worked in contemporary dance and choreography. His choreographic work includes Daddy, a dance-theatre piece inspired by the poetry of Sylvia Plath.[5]
He presented Martha Graham – The Resurrection at Colomboscope in 2013. The work was a solo dance performance in which Abeyratne portrayed Martha Graham.[12]
He has also conducted dance workshops, including Contemporary Dance Workshop for Ballet Dancers at the Deanna School of Dancing in 2014 and a workshop on neoclassical ballet at the Nelung Arts Centre in 2016.[13][14]
Music and multimedia work
Abeyratne creates improvised music on digital piano. His recordings include extended improvisations and collections drawing on classical, jazz and atmospheric forms.[5]
He has combined music, photography and digital art in multimedia presentations. Vistas of Languedoc, presented at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in 2024, combined digitally altered photographs of southern France with piano music.[15] A subsequent presentation, Vignettes of Languedoc, was staged at the Alliance Française de Kotte in Colombo in 2025.[5]
Literary festivals
Abeyratne interviewed Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans, at the 2011 Galle Literary Festival.[16] He has also appeared as a speaker and interviewer at the Ceylon Literary and Arts Festival.[5]
Newspaper articles
Abeyratne writes occasional reviews and articles for a variety of Sri Lankan newspapers, including the Sunday Times, Daily News, Daily Mirror, and The Island. These articles cover a range of topics including economics, literature, history, the humanities, and the performing arts. His most recent newspaper publication (September 2026) is a review of the gospel music concert, Journey 3, presented by Dilip Seneviratne (a prominent jazz pianist) in partnership with Brandix (Sri Lanka’s single largest apparel exporter).[22]
Career as an economist
Before concentrating primarily on writing and the arts, Abeyratne worked as an economist and international consultant. A publisher biography states that he holds a master’s degree from Cornell University.[4]
With Thomas T. Poleman, he co-authored Socioeconomic Determinants of Child Malnutrition in Sri Lanka: The Evidence from Galle and Kalutara Districts, published by Cornell University’s Department of Agricultural Economics in 1983.[17][18]
Public records also identify Abeyratne in connection with USAID/Sri Lanka and describe him as having worked as a researcher and policy analyst.[19][20]
Selected non-fiction
· Abeyratne, Seneka, and Thomas T. Poleman. Socioeconomic Determinants of Child Malnutrition in Sri Lanka: The Evidence from Galle and Kalutara Districts. Cornell University, 1983.
· Facets of Wewala. Sri Lanka, 2007. · “Ruminations on Sri Lanka’s Ancient Past.” The Island, 2021–2022 (serial publication)
References
1. The Gratiaen Trust. “Gratiaen Prize Winners & Short Listed Writers 1993–2024.”
2. Sunday Observer. “Montage – Cultural paradigm,” 27 December 2009.
3. The Island. “Fire in the Belly,” 14 September 2020.
4. Dr. Cicero Books. “Seneka Abeyratne” (author biography) and publisher material for Asmita.
5. Ceylon Literary and Arts Festival. “Seneka Abeyratne” (speaker biography).
6. British Council Sri Lanka. “Announcement of the Gratiaen Shortlist 2018,” 2019.
7. National Library of Sri Lanka / bibliographic records; Mary Martin Booksellers catalogue, 2024, for The Beast and Other Stories.
8. National Library of Sri Lanka. Bibliographic record for Temptation, 2011.
9. Daily FT. “The Galle Ramparts: A black and white photography exhibition by Seneka Abeyratne,” 12 November 2011.
10. French Spring Festival Sri Lanka programme, 2013. “From Mirissa to Bouzigues.”
11. Daily FT. “Celebrating all things French,” 2013.
12. Daily FT. “Colomboscope 2013 kicks off this month,” March 2013.
13. Daily FT. “Contemporary Dance Workshop for Ballet Dancers,” 23 May 2014.
14. Alliance Française / French Spring Festival programme and press material, 2016, “The Art of Neoclassical Ballet.”
15. Sunday Times. “Glimpses of Southern France to the Strains of Piano,” 3 March 2024.
16. Galle Literary Festival programme, 2011.
17. Cornell University, Department of Agricultural Economics. Publication list, 1984, entry for A.E. Res. 83-25.
18. Abeyratne, Seneka, and Thomas T. Poleman. Socioeconomic Determinants of Child Malnutrition in Sri Lanka: The Evidence from Galle and Kalutara Districts. Cornell University, 1983.
19. USAID. Public report listing “Seneka Abeyratne, USAID/Sri Lanka.”
20. Ada Derana. “Photographic Exhibition at Alliance Francaise de Kotte,” 2010.
21. 2025 Godage Literary Awards Catalogue (not available online).
22. “Truly a celebration of music, musical friendship and talent,” Sunday Times Plus, September 20, 2026.