The Brittle Paper Awards is our way of recognizing the finest, original pieces of literature by Africans available online for free. We began it in 2017 to mark our seventh anniversary. The $1,100 cash prize is spread across five categories which reflect our efforts to capture the range and variations of literary dialogue on the continent: the Brittle Paper Award […]
Archive | Reviews
RSS feed for this section
Demons in the Villa | Excerpt from Ebenezer Obadare’s Pentecostal Republic
Pentecostal Republic takes a hard look at the influence of pentecostalism in Nigerian politics. Prof. Obadare is a sociologist, who studies civil society in Africa. In this exhilarating book, he credits the challenges of Nigerian politics and state practices to the ways in which Pentecostalism frames the action and vision of political leaders and intellectuals. […]
#WeLoveBooks | Feeling and Ugly by Danai Mupotsa
Welcome back to our weekly updates on new book finds. Feeling and Ugly by Danai Mupotsa is a gem. Feeling and Ugly was published earlier this year by Impepho Press, an independent South African publishing company run by three women—Vangile Gantsho, Sarah Godsell, and Tanya Pretorius. As poets, thinkers, and activists, Gantsho, Godsell, and Pretorius […]
#WeLoveBooks | Elsewhere, Home by Leila Aboulela
Any plans to read a book this weekend? Ditch that novel you’ve been thinking about and check out Leila Aboulela’s short story collection Elsewhere, Home. It was published by Grove Atlantic earlier this year. The collection contains 13 stories about the imagination of home as loss and desire. Aboulela is an endearing storyteller. There is a […]
#WeLoveBooks | Edwardsville by Heart by Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún
Reading poetry can sometimes feel like taking a journey through the sound and form of language. But when poetry itself becomes about travel, something magical happens. Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún’s debut poetry collection, titled Edwardsville By Heart, is just that: a magical meeting place of travelogue, memoir, and poetry. The poems are essentially travel stories crafted out of […]
#WeLoveBooks | Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
If you’ve ever hankered for fresh, new writing, here is a book you should have on your #TBR list. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is a star in the making, and his debut book, which was officially published yesterday, is getting the attention of critics. The collection of 12 short stories is titled Friday Black. He mixes […]
Pentecostal Republic | A Powerful New Book Tackles the Role of Pentecostalism in Nigerian Politics
Nigerian Sociologist Ebenezer Obadare is asking us to take a closer look at the underlying forces of Nigeria’s political life. In a new book titled Pentecostal Republic, the Kansas University professor tackles one of the country’s sore points—the persistent interference of religion in politics. Ever since colonialism, religion has always been a key component in […]
#SSDA2018 | Review of Michael Yee’s God’s Skin | Moso Victor Sematlane
We announced that we would begin publishing reviews of the top three stories from the Short Story Day Africa Prize. The stories, alongside 18 others, appear in ID: New Short Fiction from Africa, edited by Nebila Abdulmelik, Otiene Owino, and Helen Moffett, and published by New Internationalist (UK & USA). ID is out in bookstores and on Amazon Kindle. Michael Yee was joint runner-up for the […]
Welcome to Brittle Paper, your go-to site for African writing and literary culture. We bring you all the latest news and juicy updates on publications, authors, events, prizes, and lifestyle. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@brittlepaper) and sign up for our "I love African Literature" newsletter.
