Vajra Chandrasekera is a Sri Lankan author known for his fantasy and science fiction novels and short stories. His debut novel, The Saint of Bright Doors, won the 2023 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 2024 Locus Award for Best First Novel.

Early life and background Chandrasekera was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka. His father was a writer and civil servant. Chandrasekera wrote his first short story at nine years old and had his first publication with a Sri Lankan newspaper when he was twelve. 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.

Career 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. Retrieved 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026. His short story "The Translator, at Low Tide" was a finalist for the 2021 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. Retrieved 23 April 2026.

In 2023, Chandrasekera published his first novel, The Saint of Bright Doors. In a review for The New York Times, Amal El-Mohtar described the novel as the best book of the year. 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. Both reviewers noted the novel's stretching of the fantasy genre. Publishers Weekly described the book as "lyrical but sluggish."

In 2024, Chandrasekera published his second novel, Rakesfall. 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. 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. New York Times and Publishers Weekly reviews noted the book's challenge and payoff, with Publishers Weekly praising the book's lyricism. 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. Helena Ramsaroop, for Strange Horizons, wrote that Rakesfall compellingly shows grief and hope in the pursuit of liberation.

Chandrasekera has placed himself in the New Wave, New Weird, and slipstream literary movements, as well as the blended-genre term science fantasy. He is the author of more than 50 short stories, as well as numerous essays and reviews. Retrieved 2026-05-31.

He was one of the 2025-2026 Cullman Center Fellows at the New York Public Library, where he spent his time working on a novel. Retrieved May 11, 2026.

His third novel, Hero Come Home, is set to be published on July 7, 2027 from Tor Books. Retrieved 10 Sept 2026.

Awards and reception Chandrasekera's first novel, The Saint of Bright Doors, won the 2023 Nebula Award for Best Novel, the 2024 Locus Award for Best First Novel, the 2024 Crawford Award, and the 2024 Ignyte Award for Outstanding Novel – Adult. The book was shortlisted for the 2024 Hugo Award for Best Novel, the 2024 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize, and the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Speculative Fiction. It was listed as a New York Times Notable Book, Editors’ Pick, and Best Fantasy of 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2026.

Chandrasekera was an editor for the speculative fiction magazine Strange Horizons during the six consecutive years that it was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine.

His second novel, Rakesfall, won the 2024 Otherwise Award and the 2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize. The novel was also nominated for the 2024 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 2025 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. It was a New York Times Notable Book of 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2026. Retrieved 2026-06-17. It was featured on "The Best Sci-Fi Books of 2024" by Esquire and "The Best Books of 2024" by NPR. Retrieved 2026-06-17. Retrieved 2026-06-17.

Year year based on official award yearTitleAwardCategoryResultRef2023The Saint of Bright DoorsNebula AwardNovel Retrieved 22 April 2026.2024Locus AwardFirst Novel Retrieved 22 April 2026.Crawford Award—Ignyte AwardNovel – AdultHugo AwardNovelUrsula K. Le Guin Prize— Retrieved 22 April 2026.Lambda Literary AwardSpeculative Fiction Retrieved June 1, 2026. RakesfallNebula AwardNovel Retrieved 22 April 2026.Otherwise Award—2025Locus AwardScience Fiction NovelUrsula K. Le Guin Prize— Retrieved May 11, 2026

Bibliography

Novels

Short fiction "Pockets Full of Stones", Clarkesworld Magazine (July 2013) "The Jackal's Wedding", Apex Magazine (November 2013) "On Being Undone by a Light Breeze", Lackington’s Magazine (May 2014) "Documentary", Lightspeed Magazine (March 2015) "Sweet Marrow", Strange Horizons (July 2016) Retrieved 23 April 2026. "Applied Cenotaphics in the Long, Long Longitudes", Strange Horizons (September 2016) “Apologia“, The Digital Aesthete (September 2019) Retrieved 25 April 2026. "The Translator, at Low Tide", Clarkesworld Magazine (May 2020) Retrieved 23 April 2026. “Peristalsis“, Deadlands #1 (May 2021) Retrieved 25 April 2026. “Theses on the Scientific Management of Goetic Labour“, Uncanny Magazine (July 2023) Retrieved 25 April 2026. "The Mercer Seat", The Digital Aesthete (December 2023) Retrieved 25 April 2026. "Death and Liquidity Under the New Moon", Sunday Morning Transport (July 2025) "The Age of Cancer", Lightspeed Magazine (August 2026) Retrieved 16 August 2026.

Anthology appearances

Anthology (as editor)

References

External links