SA Lit Rules the 2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Shortlists
Alert! All five of the shortlisted books for the 2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize: Best Book – Africa Region are by South Africans – as are five of the six shortlisted works for the Best First Book – Africa Region prize. Both prizes are worth £1 000; the winners go on to compete with other regional winners for the overall Best Book and Best First Book prizes, worth £10 000 and £5 000 respectively.
Nigerian Uwem Akpan (pictured at left) prevented a clean sweep for South Africa with his first novel, Say You‘re One of Them. Among BOOK SA account holders, Mandla Langa, Jassy Mackenzie and Megan Voysey-Braig got the green light The judging panel for the Africa region was chaired by SA’s Elinor Sisulu. She was joined by judges Kole Omotoso (Nigeria) and Billy Karanja Kahora (Kenya).
Upon delivering the shortlist, Sisulu commented on the “SA vs rest of Africa” issue: “Once again Africa’s publishing powerhouses, South Africa and Nigeria dominated the entries. Of over fifty entries received, only two were from Kenya and two from Ghana. There was an unusually high number of short story collections among the entries,” she said.
Among the publishers, Umuzi comes up trumps, with four works among the eleven; Kwela, of the NB group, has two (and NB overall has three, with Human & Rousseau also scoring a shortlistee); and Jacana, Penguin and Pan Macmillan make up the rest. Here are the complete Africa Region shortlists:
2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best Book – Africa Region shortlist
- The Impostor by Damon Galgut, published by Penguin SA
EAN: 9780143025733
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- My Life with the Duvals by Tim Keegan, published by Umuzi
EAN: 9781415200476
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- The Lost Colours of the Chameleon by Mandla Langa, published by Pan Macmillan/Picador Africa
EAN: 9781770100848
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Beauty’s Gift by Sindiwe Magona, published by Kwela/NB
EAN: 9780795702723
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- The One that Got Away by Zoë Wicomb, published by Umuzi
EAN: 9781415200520
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best First Book – Africa Region shortlist
- Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan, published by Abacus (UK)
EAN: 9780349120645
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Porcupine by Jane Bennett, published by Kwela/NB
Book homepage
EAN: 9780795702655
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Random Violence by Jassy Mackenzie, published by Umuzi
Book homepage
EAN: 9781415200636
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Shepherds and Butchers by Chris Marnewick, published by Umuzi
EAN: 9781415200445
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Boston Snowplough by Sue Rabie, published by Human & Rousseau/NB
EAN: 9780798149778
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Till We Can Keep an Animal by Megan Voysey-Braig, published by Jacana
EAN: 9781770096394
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
The winners of the regional competitions will be announced on 11 March 2009; and the two overall winners, chosen by an international panel of six judges coming together in New Zealand, will be announced at an Awards Ceremony on 16 May at the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival (AWRF), which will also feature many of the shortlistees.
The complete of 2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize shortlists, for all regions, plus judges’ statements, can be found here:
Good luck to the writers!
Photo of Uwem Akpan courtesy wnyc. We don’t have a photo of Sue Rabie – please write to us if you do!
Apr
