“Silence Became My Mother Tongue”: A Conversation with Sulaiman Addonia, by Anderson Tepper

Interviews Photo of Sulaiman Addonia by Alexander Meeus. For me, one of the most astounding books of this past year—which may have slipped your attention due to the pandemic—was Silence Is My Mother Tongue, the second novel by Ethiopian Eritrean writer Sulaiman Addonia (@sulaimanaddonia). Published last September by Graywolf Press, the novel is just now beginning to get the recognition it deserves: it was recently shortlisted for the Firecracker Award for Independently Published Literature and is a 2021 LAMBDA Literary Award finalist. Set in a refugee camp in Sudan, the novel defies expectations—shimmering with sensual detail, it charts the daily encounters and erotic dreams of an extraordinary cast of characters, with the inseparable siblings Saba and her mute brother, Hagos, at its center. Of course, since war erupted in Ethiopia’s Tigray region this past winter, Addonia’s work has only taken on more resonance. “I have been looking at the pictures of refugees fleeing Tigray and waiting outside the United Nations refugee agency office at Hamdayet in Sudan,” Addonia wrote in a New York Times editorial in late November, “the place through which my family and I passed decades ago, on our way to a refugee camp further inland. I was struck by the eyes of young children. Their gazes retreat and shift, as if their wide eyes have already become the trenches into which they will hide their childhood.” We spoke by email—Addonia... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2021-05-18 13:43:22 UTC ]
News tagged with: #literary projects #literary prize #ha ha #literary festival #literary award

Other news stories related to: "“Silence Became My Mother Tongue”: A Conversation with Sulaiman Addonia, by Anderson Tepper"


“Silence Became My Mother Tongue”: A Conversation with Sulaiman Addonia, by Anderson Tepper

Interviews Photo of Sulaiman Addonia by Alexander Meeus. For me, one of the most astounding books of this past year—which may have slipped your attention due to the pandemic—was Silence Is My Mother Tongue, the second novel by Ethiopian Eritrean... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-05-18 13:43:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary award #literary festival #ha ha #literary prize #literary projects


Finding a Good Story in Every Corner: A Conversation with José Eduardo Agualusa, by Anderson Tepper

Finding a Good Story in Every Corner: A Conversation with José Eduardo Agualusa, by Anderson Tepper Interviews [email protected] Mon, 07/24/2023 - 15:01 © Rosa CunhaOver the past fifteen years, I’ve had the pleasure of crossing paths with the... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-24 20:01:34 UTC ]
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New African Novels: A Conversation with Eloghosa Osunde and Okwiri Oduor, by Anderson Tepper

Interviews Eloghosa Osunde and Okwiri Oduor. Photo of Oduor by Chelsea Bieker. It’s hard to argue with Booker Prize–winning author Damon Galgut’s assertion that 2021 was “a great year for African writing.” And as WLT’s “New African Voices” issue... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2022-04-21 13:41:40 UTC ]
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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... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-11-15 21:42:08 UTC ]
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Keeping a Critical Eye on Brazil: A Conversation with Emilio Fraia, by Anderson Tepper

Interviews Emilio Fraia’s Sevastopol, out this summer from New Directions, is the sort of book that beguiles and dazzles in equal measure. Consisting of three disparate stories—of a mountain climber attempting to scale Mt. Everest, a mysterious loner... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-08-09 20:31:30 UTC ]
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Pacing the Lion’s Path in Cuba: A Conversation with Carlos Manuel Álvarez, by Anderson Tepper

Interviews Carlos Manuel Álvarez’s debut novel, The Fallen—a withering portrait of a Cuban family with conflicting visions of their country and their roles within it—was published in June 2020 and has helped establish Álvarez as one of the leading... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-03-29 21:52:25 UTC ]
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Sharing the Gospel of Silence: PW Talks with Sarah Anderson

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 ]
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“Lusting after a Tart of Peacock Tongues”: A Conversation with Publisher Barbara Epler, by Veronica Esposito

Interviews Barbara Epler started working at New Directions after graduating from college in 1984, and she has been its president and publisher since 2011. In 2015 Poets & Writers awarded Epler their Editor’s Prize, and in 2016 Words Without Borders... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-01-11 14:39:22 UTC ]
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Art as a “Catalyst for Conversations”: A Conversation with Philbrook Curator Susan Green, by Michelle Johnson

Culture Adrian Aguilera (Mexican, b. 1981) and Betelhem Makonnen (Ethiopian American, b. 1972), untitled (a flag for John Lewis or a green screen placeholder for an America that is yet to be), 2020 (installation view). Printed standard flag fabric,... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-07-15 19:45:53 UTC ]
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In “All My Mother’s Lovers,” a Mother’s Secret Letters Reveal Her Secret Life

Not to sound like an assistant district attorney from SVU, but it is beyond a shadow of a doubt that acclaimed essayist and book critic Ilana Masad has carved a prominent space for herself in the realm of mother-daughter literature with her debut novel, All My Mother’s Lovers. It sits upon a... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2020-06-22 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Making Love to an Ancient Poem: In Conversation with Arundhathi Subramaniam, by Graziano Krätli

Making Love to an Ancient Poem: In Conversation with Arundhathi Subramaniam, by Graziano Krätli Interviews [email protected] Mon, 11/18/2024 - 07:26 In this interview focused on devotional Indian poetry (bhakti), Arundhathi Subramaniam (b. 1973)... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2024-11-18 13:26:54 UTC ]
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Is Donald Trump going to sue the media into complicity and silence?

Laughter and terror: these will most certainly be the primary contributions of a second Donald Trump administration to the national mood. To wit: a new report from Columbia Journalism Review details a letter from Trump’s lawyer sent to the New York Times and Penguin Random House seeking $10... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-11-15 17:45:51 UTC ]
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Born in Tehran: A Conversation with Porochista Khakpour, by Shohreh Laici

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[ World Literature Today | 2024-11-12 15:04:04 UTC ]
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‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ Book Club Conversation Space: Main Discussion

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[ The New York Times | 2024-11-01 18:49:03 UTC ]
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‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ Book Club Conversation Space: Spoiler Chat

Want to discuss spoilers related to our November book club selection, “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” by Gabriel García Márquez? Post them here. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-11-01 15:16:26 UTC ]
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Finding My Literary Style (with a Little Help From My Mother)

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[ Literrary Hub | 2024-10-28 08:56:53 UTC ]
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Panel Mania: ‘Big Jim and the White Boy’ by David Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson

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‘Intermezzo’ Book Club Conversation Space: Main Discussion

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‘Intermezzo’ Book Club Conversation Space: Book Pairing Recommendations

Share recommendations of books you think would pair well with our October book club selection, “Intermezzo,” by Sally Rooney. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-09-27 14:12:10 UTC ]
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