Aminatta Forna’s fourth novel and fifth book Happiness is one of the six finalists for the 2019 Ondaatje Prize. The announcement was made at an RSL London event themed “The Spirit of a Place.” Alongside her on the longlist was the Nigerian writer Emmanuel Iduma, for his second book and first collection of essays A Stranger’s Pose. […]
Tag Archives: happiness
Aminatta Forna and Emmanuel Iduma Longlisted for the 2019 Ondaatje Prize
The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) has announced the longlist for the 2019 Ondaatje Prize, and on it are Aminatta Forna, for her fourth novel and fifth book Happiness, and Emmanuel Iduma, for his second book and first collection of essays A Stranger’s Pose. Named after Christopher Ondaatje, the annual £10,000 Ondaatje Prize, which incorporates the Winifred Holtby Memorial […]
The Revealing Reason Why Aminatta Forna Likes Writing Male Characters
Last year, Somali writer and visual artist Diriye Osman, author of the Polaris Award-winning story collection Fairytales for Lost Children and the forthcoming novel We Once Belonged to the Sea, explained the concept of literary androgyny: that gender-straddling sensibility possessed by the best storytellers—women writing men, men writing women. But Aminatta Forna, from the interview […]
Aminatta Forna’s Novel, “Happiness,” Is Out, and She Is on the Cover of Kirkus Reviews
Last November, we brought news of Aminatta Forna’s fifth book and fourth novel, Happiness. The book is now out, and after the first reviews, Forna is on the cover of Kirkus Reviews, the literary world’s leading magazine for book reviews. We are not in the least surprised as Forna is one of the most critically acclaimed fiction […]
Aminatta Forna’s Fourth Novel, “Happiness,” Arrives March 2018
Among writers of her generation, Aminatta Forna belongs in the higher ranks of critical acclaim. With her work translated into sixteen languages, she has been described, by the London Evening Standard, as “arguably the best writer of fiction” “about war and its aftermath.” She has also been praised in similar terms by the judges of the […]
Teju Cole Opens a City of Warmth With One Facebook Question
Steering away from his usual posts about weighty political matters, Teju Cole opened the floor to some truly heartwarming comments when he wrote on Facebook: “Goodness me. What a week, right? So, in the spirit of mutual care, let’s pivot to the positive. What has made you happy? Big stuff, small stuff, tiny stuff: share.” Teju […]
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