Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka has won the prestigious British Booker Prize. The 47-year-old convinced with the novel "The Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida", as the jury announced at the award ceremony.

The mystery thriller takes place in the early 1990s during the civil war in Sri Lanka, but still has many humorous elements. The jury praised the writer's craft and the "boldness and daring" of his work.

Karunatilaka accepted the award in London and described it as typical of Sri Lankan society to crack jokes in the face of crises. "That's how we deal with it," he said. The author thanked his independent British publisher Sort of Books for accepting his "weird and difficult book". He thanked his first test readers because they had patiently endured his "terrible drafts". Karunatilaka has also received awards for his debut work "Chinaman" - including the Commonwealth Book Prize.

The Booker Prize is awarded annually to the author of an English language novel published in the UK or Ireland. It is endowed with 50,000 pounds (around 57,850 euros). The new king's wife and literature lover Camilla presented the trophy at the award ceremony in London and got to know this year's award winner and the other nominees.