New Releases
Nominations and Prizes
In January, the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (the Arabic Booker) shortlist included Tunisian author Husein Al-Wad's His Excellency the Minister. In April, Granta Best Young British Novelist 2013 announced its list of the 20 best British novelists under 40. This was more diverse than usual with the authors coming from a wider range of ethnic backgrounds and women forming the majority of authors. Included on the list was Somali-born Nadifa Mohammed, Nigerian born Helen Oyeyemi and Taiye Selasi, born in London to Nigerian and Ghanian parents. Also in April, the Kenyan-born Somali poet Warsan Shire was announced as the first ever winner of the Brunel University African Poetry Prize. In May, E E Sule was announced as the African Regional Winner for the 2013 Commonwealth Book Prize for his novel Sterile Sky. In May, Marie NDaiye's Three Strong Women was longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2013. Also in May, Mozambican author Mia Couto was announced as the winner of the 2013 Camões Prize for Literature, one of the most prestigious international awards honouring the work of Portuguese language writers. In July Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was awarded the 2013 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Fiction for Americanah, which was described as 'a novel that engages with important ideas about race, and does so with style, wit and insight'. Also in July, Nigerian-American Tope Folarin won the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story Miracle. In the
In the News Cordite Books, a Pan-African Crime and Spy Fiction was launched this year. It was announced in March that the deadline for submissions for AfroSF Vol 2 will be March 2014, which means a second anthology will be coming our way in 2014. In May, the Small Publisher's Catalogue, Africa was published. Also in May The Shining Girls was acquired by MRC and Appian Way to be adapted for TV. In July an interview Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie did with Aaron Bady on Americanah and more led to some reactions from some of the Caine Prize Shortlistees on her views of the Caine Prize. In September Half of a Yellow Sun premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Also in September, Taiye Selasi opened the ilb 2103 festival with a speech 'African Literature Doesn't Exist'. There was also The Shining Girls Charity Art Show. In October, Volume 25 of Paradoxa Africa SF was published, which let us know that '[if] African sf has not arrived, it is certainly approaching fast'. Adichie really was everywhere this year - her TEDxEuston Talk 'We Should All Be Feminists' was sampled on Beyonce's Flawless.
Saying bye to the greats There was also some sad news this year. In March, Chinua Achebe passed away, while in September during the StoryMoja Hay Festival Kofi Awoonor died at the terrorist attack at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi.
While there is probably a lot more I have missed and I know I haven't really included North African literature, it really has been another interesting year in African literature. With over a week to go before the year ends, I'm looking forward to what 2014 has in store.