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 ]

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

Happiness, Inspiration, and Wellness

My romance with Chicken Soup for the Soul began and ended with the adolescent iteration, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, and it was fostered in part because I read it when I was not yet teenaged. There was so much in that book for a 10-year-old to love: the amazing celebrity contributors... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Short stories from Kuwait win EIBF award

A short story collection by Kuwaiti author Mai Al-Nakib has won the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival’s First Book Award. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

John Murray pre-empts McLaughlin stories

John Murray has pre-empted a collection of short stories and debut novel from Irish writer... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Distribution: Authors Sign with INscribe

Nine romance writers are distributing an anthology of short stories, "Naught Nine," through INscribe Digital. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

BEA 2014: A Civil War Female Voice: Laird Hunt

An obscure but fascinating aspect of the Civil War, when hundreds of women disguised as men enlisted in the army as Union soldiers to fight, is at the heart of Neverhome (Little, Brown; Sept.) by Laird Hunt, the author of five novels and a collection of short stories and a two-time finalist for... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

BEA 2014: A Love Letter to Literature: Azar Nafisi

Readers who were inspired by Azar Nafisi’s paean to literature in Reading Lolita in Tehran—there were enough to keep the book on the New York Times bestseller list for 117 weeks—can rejoice at the appearance of The Republic of Imagination (Viking, Oct.), an homage to American literature and a... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

How "Frozen" Director Jennifer Lee Reinvented The Story Of The Snow Queen

Frozen didn't click until the main characters were reimagined as sisters with a complicated relationship. Co-director Jennifer Lee talks with Fast Company about the collaboration that resulted in the highest-grossing Disney animated film of all time.The fact that Jennifer Lee is a woman isn't... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The Master

We last heard from Elizabeth Spencer more than a decade ago. In 1998 she published a memoir, Landscapes of the Heart, followed in 2001 by a “greatest hits” roundup of her novellas and short stories, The Southern Woman, which was followed by a quiet 12 years. One could be forgiven the thought... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Amina Cain builds slow, intimate portraits in 'Creature'

In 'Creature,' Amina Cain presents personal tales of female characters at loose ends.The peril of reading literary short stories is that one tends to encounter characters who behave not like you or me but like the kind of people one finds only in short stories. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Scott Turow's 'Identical' has Greek myth proportions

Novelist Scott Turow's 'Identical' is a compulsively readable crime story about brothers, feuding families and a long-ago murder.Over the course of nine novels, Scott Turow's Kindle County has become one the best-known settings in American literature. While fictional locations are not uncommon... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Nothing small about short story Nobel

The first Canadian winner, Alice Munro has published nothing but short stories in a 50-year career. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald

[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Nothing small about story Nobel

The first Canadian winner, Alice Munro has published nothing but short stories in a 50-year career. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald

[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Amazon once again gets exclusive streaming rights for Under the Dome

Many of novelist Stephen King's books and short stories have found their way to the screen either through a movie or mini-series. Some, like The Shining, have become classics in the eyes of fans, while others...well... This season a King novel has returned the author to prominence on the small... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2013-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Can Foreign Authors Use China’s Social Media to Acquire Readers?

China's Douban is experimenting with crowdsourced translations of English literature, including SF and short stories by David Mitchell. Can it help authors enter the market? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Amazon's new imprints give opportunities to debut authors, short story writers

Amazon's Little A imprint will release novels, memoirs, and story collections, while Day One will focus on short stories and new writers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The Hindu Literary Prize: Five Books Shortlisted

One collection of short stories and four novels—including Jeet Thayyil’s Narcopolis, winner of the DSC Prize—have been shortlisted for The Hindu Literary Prize. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this