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Brian Chikwava, Petina Gappah make the Orwell Prize longlist
Books SA News
March 25, 2010

http://news.book.co.za/blog/2010/03/25/brian-chikwava-petina-gappah-make-the-orwell-prize-longlist/

Alert! For the first time since 2008, fiction features on the Orwell Prize books longlist, said prize being the "pre-eminent British prize for political writing". Two works of fiction, in fact, are in the 18-title-strong mix, and both are debuts from the pens of Zimbabweans: Harare North by Brian Chikwava and An Elegy for Easterly by Petina Gappah. (Chalk up yet another note of recognition for Gappah's extraordinarily well-received collection of short stories.)

The blurbs for the two books, both set in the rather Orwellian present-day Zimbabwe, indicate just why they're in the running:

In this astonishingly powerful debut collection, Gappah dissects with real poignancy the lives of people caught up in a situation over which they have no control, as they deal with spiralling inflation, power cuts and financial hardship - a way of life under Mugabe's regime, and cope with issues common to all people everywhere; failed promises, disappointments and unfulfilled dreams.

In this astonishing, revelatory original debut, Caine Prize winner Brian Chikwava tackles head-on the realities of life as a refugee. This is the story of a stranger in a strange land, one of the thousands of illegal Zimbabwean immigrants seeking a better life in England, with a past he is determined to hide. From the first line the language fizzes with energy, humour and not a little menace. As he struggles to make his life in London (the Harare North of the title) and battles with the weight of what he has left behind in a strife-torn Zimbabwe, every expectation and preconception (both his and ours) is turned on its head.

In addition to the books prize, there is also an Orwell Prize for journalism, won last year by Patrick Cockburn, plus the odd special award (including one for blogs, which however doesn't seem to have a 2010 incarnation). Click here for more on the awards; here for the complete list of past winners; and here for the full 2010 longlists.

Maddeningly, the Orwell Prize website doesn't seem to say what, exactly, the authors stand to win (apart from recognition, of course). Never fear, however: Book SA has tweeted a query and hopes to be able to supply the information soon. Update: The prize organisers tweeted back! Winners receive £3000 and a plaque. Not too shabby, that.

The shortlists will be announced on 15 April and the winners on 19 May. Good luck to Chikwava and Gappah!

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