African Violet and Other Stories: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2012

The Caine Prize for African Writing is Africa’s leading literary prize, and is awarded to a short story by an African writer published in English, whether in Africa or elsewhere. The Caine Prize is now in its thirteenth year. The judges’ panel is chaired by author and editor Bernardine Evaristo. Joining her are Nima Elbagir, International Correspondent for CNN; Maya Jaggi, award-winning cultural journalist and an influential critic; Samantha Pinto, Assistant Professor of English at Georgetown University in Washington, DC; and Chirikure Chirikure, performance poet and cultural consultant. The 2012 shortlist comprises: Rotimi Babatunde (Nigeria) ‘Bombay’s Republic’ from Mirabilia Review Vol. 3.9 (Lagos, 2011); Billy Kahora (Kenya) ‘Urban Zoning’ from McSweeney’s Vol. 37 (San Francisco, 2011); Stanley Kenani (Malawi) ‘Love on Trial’ from For Honour and Other Stories published by eKhaya/Random House Struik (Cape Town, 2011); Melissa Tandiwe Myambo (Zimbabwe) ‘La Salle de Depart’ from Prick of the Spindle Vol. 4.2 (New Orleans, June, 2010); Constance Myburgh (South Africa) ‘Hunter Emmanuel’ from Jungle Jim Issue 6, (Cape Town, 2011) The Caine Prize for African Writing showcases young writers who go on to publish successful novels, for instance: Leila Aboulela, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Brian Chikwava and Helon Habila. The book includes 18 short stories – the winner and shortlist (5 stories) plus a dozen stories written at the Caine Prize writers’ workshop. It will be released in time for the announcement of the award in July 2012. The four African winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Wole Soyinka, Nadine Gordimer, Naguib Mahfouz and John Coetzee are patrons of the Caine Prize.