On Saturday, 19 March, the winner of the third edition of the Etisalat Prize for Literature will emerge.
The Etisalat Prize is a pan-African award for debut authors of published novels. The inaugural winner of the prize was NoViolet Bulawayo, for her novel We Need New Names, while Songeziwe Mahlangu won the 2014 edition of the award for Penumbra.
This year’s shortlisted books are The Story of Anna P, as Told by Herself by South African Penny Busetto, Tram 83 by Democratic Republic of Congo’s Fiston Mwanza Mujila and What Will People Say by another South African, Rehana Rossouw.
The shortlisted writers will kick of their Etisalat Prize multi-city book tour at the Time of the Writer in Durban, with readings and a book donation to the eThekwini Municipality Libraries.
This will be closely followed by a reading in Lagos, Nigeria, and this year’s award ceremony, under the theme “Representing the Diversity of African Voices”. It promises to be an exciting event with performances ranging from poetry, dramatic monologues and musical performances by Darey and Asa.
The winner of the 2015 Etisalat Prize for Literature will receive £15,000 (about R325,000), an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen and a high-end phone or tablet device. The winner will also attend the Etisalat Fellowship at the University of East Anglia under the mentorship of Giles Foden (author of The Last King of Scotland).
The Etisalat Prize for Literature also aims to promote the publishing industry and will therefore purchase 1,000 copies of all three shortlisted books, which will be donated to various schools, book clubs and libraries across Africa.
The Etisalat Prize Flash Fiction Category recognises unpublished short story writers; this year’s winner of that competition will go home with a cash prize of £1,000, a high-end phone or tablet device, and will have his or her published ebook promoted online and via SMS.
Related stories:
Book details
- The Story of Anna P, as Told by Herself by Penny Busetto
Book homepage
EAN: 9781431410163
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- Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila, edited by Roland Glasser
EAN: 9781941920046
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- What Will People Say by Rehana Rossouw
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EAN: 9781431420247
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