Alert! The nine-book longlist for the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature has been announced, with South African authors dominating again.
2016 Etisalat Prize longlist:
- Mr. and Mrs. Doctor by Julie Iromuanya (Coffee House Press, USA)
- The Yearning by Mohale Mashigo (Pan Macmillan, South Africa)
- Piggy Boy’s Blues by Nakhane Toure (BlackBird Books, imprint of Jacana Media, South Africa)
- The Peculiars by Jen Thorpe (Penguin Random House, South Africa)
- Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John (Cassava Republic, Nigeria)
- And After Many Days by Jowhor Ile (Farafina, imprint of Kachifo Limited, Nigeria)
- Dub Steps by Andrew Miller (Jacana Media, South Africa)
- The Seed Thief by Jacqui L’Ange (Umuzi Publishers, South Africa)
- Nwelezelanga: The Star Child by Unathi Magubeni (BlackBird Books, imprint of Jacana Media, South Africa)
The announcement was made by Helon Habila, chair of the 2016 judging panel. The longlist is made up of entries from first-time authors whose books were published in the past 24 months.
Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria Matthew Willsher praised the carefully moderated selection process, saying: “The novels in this year’s longlist represent a good number of African publishing companies. Each novel reflects a very interesting and dynamic perspective that will provoke intense conversations about different personal and societal issues.”
The judging panel will now three authors for the shortlist, which will be unveiled in December.
The Etisalat Prize for Literature is a Pan African prize that celebrates debut African writers of published fiction. Previous winners are Zimbabwe’s NoViolet Bulawayo (2013), South Africa’s Songeziwe Mahlangu (2014) and Democratic Republic of Congo’s Fiston Mwanza Mujila (2015).
The winner of the 2016 Etisalat Prize will be announced in March 2017 and will receive £15,000 (about R265 000), an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen, and an Etisalat-sponsored fellowship at the University of East Anglia, to be mentored by renowned Professor Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland.
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Book details
- Mr. and Mrs. Doctor by Julie Iromuanya
EAN: 9781566893978
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- The Yearning by Mohale Mashigo
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EAN: 9781770104839
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- Piggy Boy’s Blues by Nakhane Toure
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EAN: 9781928337089
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- The Peculiars by Jen Thorpe
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EAN: 9781485903406
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- Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John
EAN: 9781911115021
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- And After Many Days by Jowhor Ile
EAN: 9781101903148
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- Dub Steps by Andrew Miller
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EAN: 9781431422203
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- The Seed Thief by Jacqui L’Ange
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EAN: 9781415207567
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- Nwelezelanga: The Star Child by Unathi Magubeni
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EAN: 9781928337249
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