Sri Lankan writer Vajra Chandrasekera has won the 2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction for his speculative novel Rakesfall. The $25,000 award recognises a single author whose imaginative fiction explores critical themes such as power, freedom, equity, and humanity’s place in the world. Praised as “an extraordinary achievement in science fiction,” the novel cements Chandrasekera’s reputation as one of the most powerful new voices in global speculative fiction.
Who Is Vajra Chandrasekera?
- Hailing from Colombo, Sri Lanka, Vajra Chandrasekera is a rising force in the world of science fiction and fantasy.
- His earlier novel The Saint of Bright Doors earned widespread acclaim and several major literary awards.
- Now based in New York on a writing fellowship, Chandrasekera continues to push boundaries in genre fiction.
- His works often critique systems of power, explore myth and memory, and examine how speculative fiction can reflect political and social realities.
The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize
- Established in 2022, the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction honours the legacy of the legendary author known for critiquing capitalism, patriarchy, and colonialism through fantasy and science fiction.
- The $25,000 prize is awarded annually to a book-length work that embodies hope, non-violence, equity, and a holistic view of the world.
- Open to writers globally, the prize especially aims to uplift voices outside dominant literary institutions.
Why Rakesfall Stood Out
- Published by Tordotcom Publishing in 2024, Rakesfall was selected from among eight semi-finalist works.
- The judging panel — authors Matt Bell, Indra Das, Kelly Link, Sequoia Nagamatsu, and Rebecca Roanhorse — praised the book for its moral clarity, emotional power, and innovation.
- They said: “Like Le Guin, Vajra Chandrasekera writes about colonialism and power with a kind of moral clarity and strength that speaks to the heart as well as the mind. Rakesfall is an extraordinary achievement in science fiction, and a titanic work of art.”
A Novel About Power and Its Obsessions
- In his acceptance speech, Chandrasekera called Rakesfall a novel about power, exploring the arrogance and self-belief of the elite, who seek immortality, artificial intelligence, and post-human futures.
- He remarked, “This is actually the world we already live in,” highlighting how real-world oligarchs reflect speculative fiction’s grandest — and darkest — ambitions.
- He also pointed to the role speculative genres play in shaping dangerous ideologies, referencing Theodor Herzl’s 1902 Altneuland, a work he links to the colonial imagination and the long-term displacement of people.