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 ]
Award-winning novelist Neil Griffiths is launching a new literary prize to celebrate “small presses producing brilliant and brave literary fiction” in the UK and Ireland - in part because he believes the publishing business model is "terrible". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Writers in Zimbabwe have created a traveling book fair and are marshaling social media to build direct bonds with impoverished readers. The post Zimbabwe Writers Battle Disinterest With Literary Festival appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Some in Canada are protesting the awarding of the 2014 Governor General’s Literary Award to a controversial book about high school gender identity issues. The post Protest Against Controversial YA Award-winner in Canada appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Newsflash: check out which debut authors and their editors have made the list for this literary prize! As any author will tell you, great books are a bit of a team effort – especially their first book – and that’s why the Branford Boase award was launched 15 years ago This award is given every... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dulwich Books hosted its first literary festival over half-term, using the money it received as the winner of the Independent Bookshop of the Year award at the Bookseller Industry Awards in May. The south London bookshop won a £5,000 prize sponsored by Gardners for winning the award, and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week marks the launch of a new literary festival in New Jersey and two new bookstores (King City Books in Mt. Vernon, Ill., and Vallejo Bookstore in Vallejo, Calif.). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt Books in Marylebone is holding its first literary festival on 27th to 28th March. Authors... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A book by Robert Macfarlane, the chairman of judges of this year's Man Booker Prize is shortlisted for another literary award, the biennial Warwick Prize for Writing. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Kwani? Manuscript Project, a new one-off literary prize for unpublished fiction from African... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 12/10/2011 - 11:55 A new literary award, The Literature Prize, has been set up to "establish a clear and uncompromising standard of excellence", with the advisory board claiming that the Man Booker Prize no longer does the job. The board, for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 24/08/2011 - 15:06 The Royal Society is holding its first literary festival in its 350-year history, with the likes of Sebastian Faulks, China Miéville and John Banville taking part. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 05/07/2011 - 08:49 The Oldie magazine team is launching a new literary festival, based in London's Soho, with authors including Man Booker-winner Howard Jacobson and Michael Morpurgo set to appear. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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