Ethiopian-American author Maaza Mengiste is one of eight writers to receive the 2020 Arts and Letters Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Each year, the Academy awards “literature prizes, totaling $350,000, to honor both established and emerging writers of fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry.” Mengiste was recognized alongside Viet Thanh […]
Tag Archives: maaza mengiste
COVID-19: How Some African Authors Are Reacting to the Pandemic
Like everyone else across the world, our favorite authors are confronted with the threat of COVID-19. Here, we document some of their reactions on social media to the pandemic. These range from providing uplifting advice and offering practical measures to tackling the crisis with a touch of humor. We take all of them as ways […]
Namwali Serpell, Maaza Mengiste & Marlon James Are Finalists for Los Angeles Times Book Prizes
Finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes have been announced. The Ethiopian novelist Maaza Mengiste is nominated in the Fiction category for her second novel The Shadow King, which is set during the second Italo-Ethiopian war and centers on women who fought in it. The Zambian novelist Namwali Serpell is nominated in the Ray […]
The Anticipated Books of 2020
The year 2019 was full. In December, we released our list of The Notable Books of 2019. In January, we released our list of The Top 15 Debut Books of 2019. Now we look ahead into 2020 with our list of the most anticipated books of the year in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The buzz […]
These Books Helped Maaza Mengiste Write Her Ethiopian Warrior Women Novel, The Shadow King
Maaza Mengiste’s second novel The Shadow King is set during the second Italo-Ethiopian War (1935-7). It tells the story of the Ethiopian women who fought in it and whose version of events have since been deprioritized in historical records. Born 36 years after the war, the Ethiopian novelist and editor of the anthology Adis Ababa […]
The 2019 Brittle Paper Award for Essays & Think Pieces: Meet The 5 Finalists
The 5 Shortlists for The 2019 Brittle Paper Awards were announced in November. Begun in 2017 to mark our seventh anniversary, the Awards aim to recognize the finest, original pieces of writing by Africans published online. READ: The 2017 Brittle Paper Award for Essays & Think Pieces: Meet the Finalists READ: The 2018 Brittle Paper Award for […]
Is There a Quota of 5 Books by African Authors for Every “Best 100 Books of 2019” List?
As yet another year draws to a close, literary lists of various sorts are once again filling our newsfeeds. During the first week of November 2019, BBC Arts released a list titled “100 Novels That Shaped Our World.” On that list, Brittle Paper noted that there were five novels by African authors which, in the words […]
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.
