Mohammed Hanif's 'A Case of Exploding Mangoes', an edgy and provocative novel has won the Commonwealth Writers' 'Best First Book Prize' 2009, while Pakistan has its first ever winner in the debut fiction category. The overall winners of the 2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prize were announced on Saturday 16 May 2009 at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival in New Zealand. The two winners received their prizes from the Governor-General of New Zealand, Hon Sir Anand Satyanand. The Best Book winner Christos Tsiolkas received a prize of £10,000 (approx NZD 26,000), while the Best First Book winner Mohammed Hanif claimed £5,000 (NZD 13,000).

Chair of the judging panel the Hon Justice Nicholas Hasluck commented "standing out in a strong field, this riveting debut novel makes Mohammed Hanif Pakistan's first winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. A tour de force, this fast-paced political intrigue merges fact and fiction to provide a startling interrogation of dictatorship, religious fundamentalism and abuse of power. A trenchant satire, tender and funny, it will long live on in readers' minds."

The two winners for Best Book and Best First Book were chosen by a panel of six judges from Australia, India, Jamaica, New Zealand and South Africa who met over two days in Wellington earlier in the week. They chose the winning books from the eight regional winners of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, announced in March 2009, from the regions of Africa, Canada and the Caribbean, Europe and South Asia and South East Asia and the Pacific.

The Commonwealth Writers' Prize aims to reward the best Commonwealth fiction written in English, by both established and new writers, and to take their works to a global audience. It is sponsored and organised by the Commonwealth Foundation with the support of the Macquarie Group Foundation.

A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif Published in Hardback (5 Jun 2008) Published by: Jonathan Cape 304 pages ISBN-10: 0224082043 Guide Price: £12.99 Click here to buy this book today!

Mohammed Hanif A Case of Exploding Mangoes (Vintage) - Best First Book Why did a Hercules C130, the world's sturdiest plane, carrying Pakistan's military dictator General Zia ul Haq, go down on 17 August, 1988? Mohammed Hanif's debut novel takes one of the subcontinent's enduring mysteries and spins a tale as rich and colourful as a beggar's dream. Mohammed Hanif was born in Okara, Pakistan. He flew in the Pakistan Air Force before pursuing a career in journalism. Hanif now lives in London and is the head of the BBC's Urdu Service. A Case of Exploding Mangoes was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award 2008 and was longlisted for the Man Booker Award 2008. Hanif is the former Head of the BBC's Urdu Service in London and now lives in Pakistan.

About the Commonwealth Writers' Prize

The Commonwealth Writers' Prize, established in 1987, is organised and funded by the Commonwealth Foundation with the support of the Macquarie Group Foundation. The Prize, now in its 23rd year, celebrates cutting-edge fiction across the four regions of the Commonwealth: Africa, Canada and the Caribbean, Europe and South Asia and South East Asia and the Pacific. From these regions, the overall winners for the Best Book, worth £10,000 and Best First Book, worth £5,000 are chosen.

The Commonwealth Writers' Prize aims to reward the best Commonwealth fiction written in English, by both established and new writers, and to take their works to a global audience. It is sponsored and organised by the Commonwealth Foundation with the support of the Macquarie Group Foundation.

The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental body working to help civil society organisations promote democracy, development and cultural understanding in 53 Commonwealth countries. The Commonwealth Writers' Prize is part of the Culture Programme of the Commonwealth Foundation.

The Macquarie Group Foundation is one of Australia's leading philanthropic foundations. In the year to 31 March 2009 the Macquarie Group Foundation together with Macquarie Group staff donated over $A25 million to more than 900 not- for-profit organisations around the world. It is the philanthropic arm of Macquarie Group Limited, which is a global provider of banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services.