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
The Liturgy and Anxiety of Ordinary Lives: In Conversation with Rigoberto González, by Darlington Chibueze Anuonye Interviews [email protected] Tue, 03/26/2024 - 08:23 Rigoberto González / Photo by Mahsa HojjatiRecently, I scheduled a zoom call... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2024-03-26 13:23:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#disappointing results
#bank account
#american literature
#book award
#memoir
Poet, Translator, Mirror: A Conversation with Miho Kinnas, by Renee H. Shea Interviews [email protected] Tue, 12/05/2023 - 15:32 Two-time Pushcart Prize nominee Miho Kinnas recently published Waiting for Sunset to Bury Red Camellias, her third book... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-12-05 21:32:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#narrow land
#printed word
#bookstore
Jami Nakamura Lin begins with a warning: “In the presence of a story—if the story is a good one—time collapses.” This is precisely what she achieves in a genre-bending memoir that collapses past and present, personal and mythical. The Night Parade begins with her attempts to trace the origins of... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-11-07 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#mental illness
#asian mythology
#bipolar disorder
#electric literature
#memoir
Sarah Anderson, who founded the Travel Bookshop in London before becoming a writer and painter, discusses the value of quiet in 'The Lost Art of Silence' (Shambhala, Dec.). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#travel bookshop
#lost art
#bookshop
Unit sales of print books fell 3.2% last week at outlets that report to Circana BookScan. The performance wasn’t a bad one—it was just unable to match the same period last year, when 'It Starts with Us' by Colleen Hoover sold more than 810,000 copies in its first week on sale. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#2% decline
#circana bookscan
#print book
There is no better time than Friday the 13th to announce that Abrams and IDW are set to debut new books and comics, respectively, tied to Mattel's Monster High franchise. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Showing Up Every Day: A Conversation with Dewaine Farria, by Matt Gallagher Interviews [email protected] Tue, 10/10/2023 - 15:38 Dewaine Farria belongs to the world. As a US Marine, he served in Jordan and Ukraine, and spent much of his... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-10-10 20:38:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#huck finn
#easy decision
#younger generation
#flip side
#short-story collection
#jennifer egan
#goon squad
#story set
#memoir
Forthcoming titles from religion and spirituality publishers aim to get families talking about right-to-life messaging, sex trafficking, climate change, houselessness, gender roles, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#religion books
#forthcoming titles
#sex trafficking
#climate change
#gender roles
A book-length thought experiment uses math to investigate some of life’s big questions. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2023-09-18 12:19:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#big bang
#big questions
#book club
“Vessels of Yearning”: A Conversation with Nishanth Injam, by Renee H. Shea Interviews [email protected] Fri, 09/08/2023 - 14:14 Born and raised in Khammam, a small town in the state of Telangana, India, Nishanth Injam published The Best Possible... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-09-08 19:14:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#college freshman
#boarding school
#quickly found
#advertising operations
#editorial note
#pantheon books
#penguin random house
#manga
#short stories
Clara Luper’s Diamonds and Acts of Radical Love: A Conversation with Cornel West, by Karlos K. Hill Interviews [email protected] Wed, 08/30/2023 - 08:14 Dr. Cornel West / Courtesy of AAE SpeakersCornel West, who recently retired from Princeton... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-08-30 13:14:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#full potential
#school district
#young kids
#central role
#radio program
#hotel room
#memoir
In 1966, after more than a quarter century in obscurity, the Dominica-born British author Jean Rhys published what is now considered to be her masterpiece. Wide Sargasso Sea is an astonishing, hallucinatory fantasy about the early life, and eventual psychological disintegration, of the first... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-24 12:59:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#jean rhys
#quarter century
#early life
#charlotte bront
#jane eyre
#british author
When the Sensibility of Art Meets the Pragmatism of Science: A Conversation with Tlotlo Tsamaase, by Darlington Chibueze Anuonye Interviews [email protected] Wed, 07/26/2023 - 15:13 Photo by Lorraine KinnearTlotlo Tsamaase’s science fiction... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-26 20:13:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#literary award
#science fiction
The Beauty and Importance of Our Names: A Conversation with Yejide Kilanko, by Darlington Chibueze Anuonye Interviews [email protected] Mon, 07/24/2023 - 09:09 Photo by Oluwafikunmi KilankoAmong the shortlisted short stories for this year’s edition... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-24 14:09:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#similar worries
#unrealistic expectations
#picture book
#boy living
#short stories
Stories Are All about Taking up Space: A Conversation with Ekemini Pius, by Darlington Chibueze Anuonye Interviews [email protected] Thu, 07/20/2023 - 15:08 Photo by Offlong EkpenyongThe first week of July, the Caine Prize for African Writing... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-20 20:08:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#editorial process
#final version
#collective memory
#nnedi okorafor
#debut novel
#short stories
Interconnected Ecologies: A Conversation with Kathryn Savage, by Jennifer Croft Interviews [email protected] Wed, 07/19/2023 - 13:29 Kathryn Savage / Photo by Melissa LukenbaughKathryn Savage’s Groundglass (Coffee House Press, 2022) explores the... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-19 18:29:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#historical records
#plain sight
#large-scale events
#memoir
Finding Her #ownvoice: A Conversation with Ivy Ngeow, by Susan Blumberg-Kason Interviews [email protected] Tue, 07/18/2023 - 15:46 Ivy Ngeow grew up in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, and now makes her home in London. An architect and interior designer by... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-18 20:46:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#global reach
#film version
#david lynch
#penguin random house
#literary fiction
#english literature
#book deal
Letting a Wild Ride Be a Wild Ride: A Conversation with Amy Spangler, by Ipek Sahinler & Iclal Vanwesenbeeck Interviews [email protected] Wed, 07/05/2023 - 14:43 Amy Spangler is the co-translator (with Nermin Menemencioğlu) of Leylâ Erbil’s A... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-05 19:43:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#literary agency
#literary agent
#debut novel