A Deep Bow to Mombasa (and Sea Monsters): A Conversation with Khadija Abdalla Bajaber, by Anderson Tepper

Interviews Khadija Abdalla Bajaber’s astonishing debut novel, The House of Rust, winner of the inaugural Graywolf Press Africa Prize, arrived in October as if on a magical wave, imbued with an assortment of creatures—human and animal, real and imagined—that populate the city of Mombasa and its surrounding waters. Aisha, fierce and adventurous, sets off on a boat made of bones in hopes of rescuing her fisherman father who has disappeared at sea. What she encounters on her search—and return home—will enthrall and amaze. “On the surface this is a limpid tale,” writes author A. Igoni Barrett, the prize’s judge, “but it is eddied and enriched by what lurks beneath the surface of both the sea and the prose. Everything in this story sparkles.” I spoke with Bajaber about Mombasa, sea monsters, and Aisha’s journey of self-discovery, among other things. Anderson Tepper: Congratulations, Khadija. I’m curious about the story of your book’s path to publication. Did it change much since being awarded Graywolf’s Africa Prize in 2018? Khadija Abdalla Bajaber: Thank you very much. Well, it definitely changed and grew. When I’d first finished working on the book, it ended at what is now actually the midpoint. I was quite happy with that ending at the time but was already beginning to rethink things. There were subplots I’d set up at the beginning that needed resolving. So then I started developing everything more; and toward the end, when... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2021-11-15 21:42:08 UTC ]
News tagged with: #complicated relationship #love letter #short stories

Other Publishing stories related to: 'A Deep Bow to Mombasa (and Sea Monsters): A Conversation with Khadija Abdalla Bajaber, by Anderson Tepper'


Surviving the Discomfort: A Conversation with Claudia Rankine

CLAUDIA RANKINE’S Just Us: An American Conversation completes a vital trilogy that includes Citizen: An American Lyric and Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric. Rankine’s fluid artistry is complex and human. Twenty-one intimate, and collaborative, essays, in verso and recto format, swerve... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-09-21 12:30:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #claudia rankine #verso


Man in the Maze: A Conversation with Robert Silverberg

THE LONG AND VARIED career of science fiction author Robert Silverberg can almost be viewed as a microcosm of the genre’s development over the past seven decades. Starting out in the world of fandom, Silverberg edited a popular zine in the early 1950s, then turned to professional writing during... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-09-18 15:00:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #varied career #early 1950s #science fiction


‘We’re Looking at a New Cold War’: A Conversation with Daniel Yergin

Daniel Yergin is a highly respected authority on energy, international politics, and economics, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling author of The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power, The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World, and Shattered Peace:... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-18 08:47:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #epic quest #cold war #daniel yergin #pulitzer prize-winning #modern world #bestselling author


'Major' literary debut The Hollow Sea to Michael Joseph

Michael Joseph has acquired The Hollow Sea by Annie Kirby, a literary debut about grief, recovery, and identity, set to be a lead hardback for 2022. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-17 11:44:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary debut #michael joseph #hardback


Darley Anderson opens illustration arm

The Darley Anderson Agency has opened an illustration arm that will represent artists across both children's and adult lists.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-16 13:51:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


New & Noteworthy, From the Rubik’s Cube to the Deep South

A selection of books published this week; plus, a peek at what our colleagues around the newsroom are reading. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-09-08 19:29:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


The Case Against Nostalgia: A Conversation with Henri Cole

Henri Cole was born in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1956. His previous books include the poetry collections Middle Earth, Blackbird and Wolf, Touch, and Pierce the Skin, as well as a memoir, Orphic Paris. He has received many awards for his work, including the Jackson Poetry Prize, the Kingsley Tufts... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-04 08:51:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #books include


In Ros Anderson’s ‘The Hierarchies,’ a robotic heroine longs for a better life

Ros Anderson’s debut novel may not break new ground, but the depth of its first-person presentation is a quiet triumph. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-08-30 06:19:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut novel


Love and Courage, or On Being a Literary Editor in Today’s Istanbul: A Conversation with Mustafa Çevikdoğan and Mehmet Erte

ISTANBUL HAS BEEN a hub for literary publishing since the late-19th-century Tanzimat era. But what does it mean to be a literary editor in Istanbul today? I sat down with Mustafa Çevikdoğan and Mehmet Erte to address this question, among others. Erte is the editor-in-chief of the oldest and... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-08-26 12:30:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post love #literary publishing #literary editor


Laurence King rushes Anderson's bike book into autumn list

Laurence King Publishing is rushing Back on Your Bike by Alan Anderson into its autumn 2020 list in anticipation of a post-Covid cycling boom. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-25 18:37:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Leaving It All Behind: A Conversation with Makenna Goodman

Makenna Goodman on leaving New York publishing behind for the farms of Vermont, and why publishing her first novel was traumatic. Continue reading at The Paris Review

[ The Paris Review | 2020-08-20 17:18:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #makenna goodman #first novel


Arabic Literature and Antiquarian Bookshops: A Conversation with Richard van Leeuwen, by Alex Crayon

Interviews Richard van Leeuwen is a senior lecturer in Islamic studies at the University of Amsterdam. This year, he won the 2020 Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the Arabic Culture in Other Languages category for his book The Thousand and One Nights and... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2020-08-10 20:32:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #peter handke #wide audience #laid bare #cultural change #digital media #bookshop #zayed book


So Much More Than Ghostwriting: Spotlight on Kevin Anderson & Associates

A ghostwriting, editing, and publishing services company takes a white-glove, comprehensive approach to supporting clients. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #supporting clients #publishing services


Narrative of My Heart: A Conversation with Natasha Trethewey

NATASHA TRETHEWEY’S Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir is a breakthrough book that artfully balances prose and lyricism as it guides us through unspeakable trauma. Prior to our conversation, I felt a bond with Natasha since I spent much of my youth “as the girl whose brother committed suicide.”... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-07-28 12:30:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #natasha trethewey #memorial drive #breakthrough book #poet laureate #memoir


A deep dive into President Trump’s doublespeak and other rhetorical tricks

Studying his language helps explain how he came to power, writes Jennifer Mercieca. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-07-24 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #deep dive #president trump


Deep Dive: As crisis continues, publishers see some promising green shoots

Digiday’s Deep Dive: European Publishing is a collection of videos, presenter slides and a guide of key takeaways produced by our editors from the Digiday Publishing Summit Europe Live that provides valuable tips and key insights so you’re prepared for what's to come in publishing. The post Deep... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2020-07-22 04:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #deep dive #publishing summit #european publishing


Deep Dive: How publishers must adapt to the new normal

In the midst of a multi-pronged crisis, it’s not easy to get a lay of the land – much less predict what tomorrow looks like. But right now publishers are forced to do that every day. At the Digiday Publishing Summit Live, publishers and media execs convened virtually to take a step back, talk... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2020-07-06 04:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #normal appeared #deep dive #step back #publishing summit


While offensive TV shows get pulled, problematic books are still inspiring debate and conversation

A look at how people have engaged with “Huck Finn” and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” over time offers a snapshot of who we were and are. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-07-03 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #huck finn #uncle tom