The African Literature Association (ALA) has seen the madness happening in Gaza in the Middle East and decided that enough is enough. The organisation in its most recent ALA Resolutions and Executive Letters supports the Palestinian people who are currently suffering a hail of bombs and other non nice things that kill. The statement, given […]
Month: July 2014
AC Grayling,, Chair of judges, Man Booker Prize 2014, England Re: Lack of African Authors on Man Booker Prize I am happy to note that you have earlier today announced the Man Booker Prize longlist earlier today and the names on the list are quite impressive and are listed here; Joshua Ferris (US) – To […]
The best thing about being a subscriber to Bookslive.co.za is that you get to follow the African literature scene in a very cool way. The focus is definitely South African but you get something from other parts of this rock we live in. Take for instance today’s announcement of the Best short stories in the […]
Book: Tropical Fish Author: Doreen Baingana Publisher: Oshun Year of publication: 2005 Number of pages: 147 Genre: Short story anthology A few months ago I mentioned that the Miles Moreland Scholars for 2013 Doreen Baingana, Percy Zvomuya and Tony Mochama were in the process of giving us new work in English. With a new call […]
Author: Susan Abulhawa Book: Mornings in Jenin Publisher: Bloomsbery Year of publication: 2010 Number of pages: 322 Susan Abulhawa’s novel Mornings in Jenin is a revelation. The last few days our TV screens have been inundated with images from a little part of the Middle East called the Gaza strip as the seemingly unending battle […]
In spite of the hype accompanying last night’s Caine Prize win for Okwiri Oduor, the reality is that the biggest prize in African literature is actually the one the Nigerians give to their best author. The Nigerian Prize for African Literature sees that one writer going home with US$100,000 rotating yearly amongst four literary genres: […]
The Caine Prize 2014 winner has just been announced in London and the winner this year is Kenyan writer Okwiri Oduor. She becomes the third Kenyan winner of the prize after Binyanvanga Wainaina in 2002 and Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor on 2003. The ceremony with several speeches started with a minute of silence for the just […]
South African Nobel-prize-winning author Nadine Gordimer, one of the literary world’s most powerful voices against apartheid, has died at the age of 90. She was one of three African Nobel prize winners alongside Wole Soyinka who celebrated 80th birthday yesterday and JM Coetzee. She was the only African woman who has gone on to win […]
The winner of the Caine Prize will be announced tonight as part of the series of events called “Africa Writes” in its third year to celebrate African writing in London, UK. The nominees are Kenyans Okwiri Oduor and Billy Kahora the highest for us in East Africa. Also in the list are South African Diane […]
The Etisalat Prize for African literature has announced a new panel judges for 2014. With last year’s former judge Sarah Ladipo Manyika remaining as Chair for continuity she is joined by Alain Mabanckou, Jamal Mahjoub and Tsitsi Dangarembga. We knew Sarah Ladipo as one of the judges for the previous edition of the inaugural judging […]
I recently mentioned that I had our favourite writer of weird mystery novels Lauren Beukes was up for the Strand Award for her 2013 novel The Shining Girls. The Strand for the uninitiated is one of the mystery genre’s most revered publications having featured the works of folks like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells […]
Kinyanjui Kombani is a Kenyan writer who has been at the forefront of the literature advocacy route with events like The Authors Buffer and the Daystar Creatives Academy. His books include Den of Iniquities and The Last Villains of Molo. The author who has been doing a commendable job teaching his experiences to the next […]
Wole Soyinka; the guy is turning 80 this year and doing it in style. Last week he gave a few bob to the winner of the literary prize with his name Akin Bello. Then just last night he launched Crucible of the Ages- Essays in Honour of Wole Soyinka at 80 by Ivor Agyeman-Duah and […]
One of our favourite writers here at JamesMurua.com is Nii Ayikei Parkes. The Ghanaian writer who has done a lot to push the literacy agenda (he was on my Writivism Google Hangout recently) is the winner of this years Sylt Foundation African Writer´s Residency Award. The award provides a two month stay in a subsidised […]
The first Text Book Centre (TBC) bookshop opened in 1963 on Nairobi’s Kijabe Street. Since then it has grown to become chain of retail sellers of text books, stationery and other learning materials with has six branches in Nairobi and a branch in Kakamega. This weekend the 5-6 July the new TBC at Text Book […]
