African writers in the news

Interesting piece on Publishing perspectives by Dennis Abrams about a new wave of African writers with an international bent.

he begins be quoting Felicia R. Lee from the New York Times: “Black literary writers with African roots (though some grew up elsewhere), mostly young cosmopolitans who write in English, are making a splash in the book world, especially in the United States. They are on best-seller lists, garner high profile reviews and win major awards, in American and in Britain. [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie], 36, the author of Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction this year, is a prominent member of an expanding group that includes Dinaw Mengetsu, Helen Oyeyemi, NoViolet Bulawayo, Teju Cole, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, Taiye, Selasi, among others.”

And while there was an earlier “wave” of African authors in the 1960s, this one, according to Lee, is different. There are more women authors, and, these authors’ stories “often reflect the writer’s experiences of living, studying or working elsewhere and are flecked with cultural references – and settings – familiar to Western audiences.” Read more here.