Carmel Miranda is a Sri Lankan writer, novelist, and medical doctor. She won the Gratiaen Prize in 2020 for her debut novel Crossmatch.
Biography
Miranda was born and grew up in Colombo, Sri Lanka. She was an avid reader from childhood, with a particular fondness for Enid Blyton, The Adventures of Tintin, Asterix, and the works of Agatha Christie.
Education and Medical Career
She attended St. Bridget's Convent for her primary and secondary education, then enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Colombo. After qualifying as a doctor, she worked in Anuradhapura and Colombo, pursued postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom, and also worked on a rotation basis in West Asia. She later worked as a freelance anaesthetist.
Writing Career
Her debut novel, Crossmatch, was published in 2020. Miranda has stated that she was inspired to write the novel after reading Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, and that her medical background helped her craft the storyline. She spent about three years writing the book, with the COVID-19 lockdowns providing additional time to complete it.
Crossmatch won the Gratiaen Prize in 2020 (Sri Lanka's most prestigious literary award for English literature) and also received the State Literary Award for Best English Novel in 2021.
