Why must writers from Africa always bear the burden of representing their continent? They should be granted artistic freedom, as other authors areAfrican literature, as it’s called, is enjoying a bit of a moment, with the western media regularly heralding splashes, rebirths, dawns. When I published my novel Ghana Must Go in 2013 I joined a list of writers that, on the face of things, appears encouragingly long. There are my fellow Nigerians Chinelo Okparanta, Chimamanda Adichie, Helen Oyeyemi, Helon Habila, Chris Abani, Teju Cole; the Kenyans Yvonne Owuor, Binya Wainaina, Mukoma Wa Ngũgĩ; the Ethiopians Maaza Mengiste, Dinaw Mengestu; the Sierra Leoneans Aminatta Forna, Olufemi Terry; the Zimbabweans Petina Gappah, NoViolet Bulawayo. It seems that African literature is the literary dish du jour, like the Indian (more Lahiris!) and Middle Eastern (more Hosseinis!) dishes before.Of course, one could argue that 50-odd writers emerging from a continent of 1.1 billion people represent more of a trickle than a wave. So, too, might one question the media’s fondness for these little ethnic trends. (When did the white male novelist’s moment begin, and when will it end?) One might pause to wonder what so-called African novels have in common: does the commercial category function as a creative one, as well? The Scottish-born novelist Aminatta Forna has asked why her novel The Hired Man, set in Croatia, is sometimes found in the “African section” of bookshops. What of Helen Oyeyemi’s... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Erika L. Sánchez's insightful memoir might not resonate with the easily offended. But those looking for an unfiltered, feel-good story will find it here. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-17 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Rafael Agustin dishes about "Illegally Yours," his candid new memoir about a childhood without documents, and the TV pilot that never made it. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-07-07 13:00:42 UTC ]
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Forefront Books and the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives are teaming up to form Frederick Douglass Books, a publishing imprint meant to “establish a pathway for Black and Brown authors” into the publishing industry, the two organizations announced in a press release last week. The imprint... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-06-16 13:04:40 UTC ]
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“I absolutely do not believe that racism is practiced against white writers," the bestselling author said. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2022-06-15 06:32:10 UTC ]
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“It’s even harder for older writers," Patterson, whose net worth is estimated to be $800 million, told the Sunday Times. "You don’t meet many 52-year-old white males.” Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-06-14 14:28:52 UTC ]
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The author, who is white, told British newspaper The Times that job difficulties were "another form of racism." Continue reading at The Huffington Post
[ The Huffington Post | 2022-06-13 08:03:37 UTC ]
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Savor the mastery of "The Aphorisms of Franz Kafka," "533 Days," "The White Room" and "The Lure of the Unknown." Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-06-01 14:00:37 UTC ]
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The U.S. Book Show's opening keynote featured Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov, speaking from his home in Kyiv, who provided the history through a literary lens of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict that culminated in war. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-05-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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As fiction editor, he helped mold the stories of generations of writers. As a sportswriter, he was enshrined in the writers’ wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-20 21:24:22 UTC ]
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The former White House coronavirus official recalls using subversion and subterfuge to get the truth out. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-20 12:00:38 UTC ]
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Keanon Lowe left the NFL to coach high school sports, a series of fateful decisions that would change his life. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-12 11:00:17 UTC ]
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Journalist Justin Tinsley revisits the life and times of a hip-hop star gone too soon. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-11 10:00:00 UTC ]
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Kim Stanley Robinson, one of the most acclaimed living science fiction writers, is done with deep space narratives. His focus now is on solving real problems — like climate change. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-05-11 09:00:20 UTC ]
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In March 2021, my mother, Nancy Bourne, a lifelong nonsmoker, died of lung cancer. Two weeks before that, though, as she cycled in and out of hospital wards, she was on her laptop sending off a flurry of query letters to literary agents asking for their help in selling her first novel. Six... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-05-06 08:52:38 UTC ]
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Monique Roffey, the Costa-winning author of The Mermaid of Black Conch, on the lit-boom that’s happening on the Caribbean islandLast week, Trinidadian writer Lisa Allen-Agostini’s novel The Bread the Devil Knead landed a coveted spot on the Women’s prize shortlist. As a fellow Trinidadian... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-05-03 13:03:34 UTC ]
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Author Christopher M. Cevasco says there's a surprising lack of crossover between the two. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2022-04-29 16:00:00 UTC ]
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The mood was celebratory as mystery publishers and authors honored the best in the genre, live and in-person, for the first time since 2019 at a ceremony last night at New York Marriott Marquis Times Square. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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What is it like to be blind in an industry overwhelmingly dominated by sighted individuals? Jessica Powers, founder and publisher at Catalyst Press, spoke to George Mendoza and Kristen Witucki about crafting stories for sighted readers, finding community and release in fiction, and battling... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-04-28 08:58:13 UTC ]
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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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No couple ever recovered from infidelity by only reading books, even the books written for that purpose. But books are what kept me from falling apart. The post Distancing: On the Writers Who Saved My Marriage appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2022-04-21 10:00:59 UTC ]
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