Lesley Nneka Arimah is Africa Regional Winner for Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2015

Nigerian born Lesley Nneka Arimah is the winner for the African region at the Commonwealth Prize 2015. The writer who currently lives in the US won the award for her story Light which you can read on Granta right now. The prize money at this stage is £2500.

Our Arimah was obviously pleased with winning this big prize had this to say; “I was delighted to hear that I’d won the regional prize. Writing sometimes feels like yelling into a void and this was the pleasant shock of having a voice shout back “I get what you’re doing and I like it!” Especially with this particular story and it’s wry, tongue-in-cheekiness. It means a lot to me.”

Leila Aboulela who was a 2015 Judge had this to say; ”The African stories on the shortlist range from a satire on gender tensions to a mediation on bereavement; from internecine warfare to a comedy about childhood punishment. ‘Light’ is warm, beautiful and deeply felt. Fluid and delightful, its theme of parenting across continents will strike a chord with readers throughout the world.”