African anthology is one for the books
This year’s winner of the Caine Prize is a first on two fronts
Sudanese writer Bushra al-Fadil has won the 2017 Caine Prize for his short story, The Story of the Girl Whose Birds Flew Away. The Caine Prize is an annual literary award for the best original short story by an African writer published in the English language. What is striking about the award this year is that it is the first time it has been given to a short story that has been translated (from Arabic, by Max Shmookler) and the first time that illustration has formed such a key part of the story telling. The Story of the Girl Whose Birds Flew Away, along with the works of finalists such as SA’s Magogodi oa Mphela Makhene, and Nigerian writers Lesley Nneka Arimah, Chikodili Emelumadu and Arinze Ifeakandu, is part of an anthology called The Goddess of Mtwara and Other Stories. The collection also includes stories written at the Caine Prize writers’ workshop, which took place in April. The anthology is available in SA this month.
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