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 and Events WLT Photo by J. Foley Opale World Literature Today, the University of Oklahoma’s award-winning magazine of international literature and culture, announced late Wednesday evening that Ismail Kadare is the 26th laureate of the renowned... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-10-16 22:21:35 UTC ]
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It's the height of literary award season and WD senior editor Amy Jones considers what prizes like The Booker Prize have to offer readers and writers. The post Benefits of The Booker Prize and Other Literary Awards for Writers (Besides the Money) by Amy Jones appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-10-14 19:33:33 UTC ]
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Another week, another prestigious literary prize announcement. This time, it’s the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, which “celebrates the power of literature to promote peace, social justice, and global understanding.” The nonfiction winner was Rising Out of Hatred, by Eli Saslow, a book... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-07 15:05:09 UTC ]
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The Cliveden Literary Festival returned for a third time last weekend with Ian McEwan, Howard Jacobson and Elif Shafak among the authors taking part in a busy event that saw speakers discuss topics from feminism to Russian spies, cyberwarfare and conspiracy theories to secrets of the universe. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-30 13:22:16 UTC ]
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After a four-year absence, the free literary festival will be back in Los Angeles in October with 40 leading Latin-American writers and artists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-09-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Over 250 writers including Sally Rooney, Jeanette Winterson and George Saunders have thrown their support behind novelist Kamila Shamsie after a German literary prize was rescinded due to her support of an Israel boycott. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-23 11:12:04 UTC ]
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Kamila Shamsie, award-winning British Pakistani author, was due to receive this year’s Nelly Sachs Prize—a biennial, €15,000 award given by the German city of Dortmund that recognizes “outstanding literary contributions to the promotion of understanding between peoples”—until yesterday, when the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-09-19 17:32:17 UTC ]
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The Booker Prize has reassured readers the £50,000 literary award has “not yet been decided” – after a bookshop mistakenly branded copies of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments with a “winner” sticker. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-17 10:52:14 UTC ]
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More than 30 publishers will join authors including Reni Eddo-Lodge and Merve Emre at the New Suns feminist literary festival at the Barbican next month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-15 18:11:32 UTC ]
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The Once Over The Editors of WLT Fifty years ago this week, Books Abroad editor Ivar Ivask traveled to Menton, Switzerland, to announce the establishment of the Books Abroad International Prize for Literature, the forerunner of the Neustadt Prize, at the... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-09-13 14:34:18 UTC ]
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Celebrated British writer and cultural critic Olivia Laing has been widely praised for her decision to split her James Tate Black award winnings with her fellow shortlisted authors. “I said in Crudo that competition has no place in art and I meant it,” Laing told the gathered crowd upon... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-19 15:39:24 UTC ]
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The Jaipur Literary Festival has New York City, Houston, and Boulder on its itinerary, having been to London and Belfast earlier this summer. The post India’s Jaipur Literary Fest Announces New York Stop on International Tour appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-08-19 06:30:42 UTC ]
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Often lauded as the world’s first literary festival, Cheltenham is to celebrate seven decades of programming with a series of events based around septets. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-16 04:54:48 UTC ]
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Former bookseller Sheila O’Reilly is helping to launch a new literary festival, 'Dingle Lit', on the Dingle Peninsula this November. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-02 06:32:46 UTC ]
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Part of the programming for the 'Noirwich' literary festival at Norwich is a focus on 'crimes against nature' and our stewardship of the environment. The post UK’s National Centre for Writing Turns to Eco-Crime for ‘Noirwich’ Fest appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-07-26 05:30:50 UTC ]
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The Booker Prize Foundation revealed the longlist for its literary award Tuesday, with Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Valeria Luiselli and Jeanette Winterson among the nominees. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-07-24 19:43:58 UTC ]
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News and Events WLT From left to right: Top: Emmanuel Carrère, Jorie Graham, Jessica Hagedorn. Middle: Eduardo Halfón, Ismail Kadare, Sahar Khalifeh. Bottom: Abdellatif Laâbi, Lee Maracle, Hoa Nguyen. World Literature Today, the University of... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-07-19 14:45:14 UTC ]
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With robust programming already this year, 1455 (previously Virginia Center for Literary Arts, or VCLA) continues to establish the Shenandoah Valley as a hotbed of creativity and community. After the success of 1455’s monthly Author Series at Handley Library and a number of workshops at both... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-17 14:19:45 UTC ]
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The organisers of Stratford Literary Festival are extending their Bedtime Stories project, which helps families in areas of disadvantage read with their children, thanks to a £15,000 Arts Council England (ACE) grant. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-15 08:55:07 UTC ]
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The inaugural Primadonna Festival has revealed the judging panel for its literary prize will include author Joanne Harris, Agent of the Year Cathryn Summerhayes and HQ executive publisher Lisa Milton. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-07 22:39:11 UTC ]
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