Ethiopian Author Maaza Mengiste In World Literature Today

Great to see one of my favourite Ethiopian writers Maaza Mengiste headlining the March 2014 issue of World Literature Today (WLT). 

Author of Beneath the Lion’s Gaze, Maaza Mengiste has gone on to receive a number of accolades for her writing, named by the Guardian as one of the ten best contemporary African books. And also appeare on a number “Best of 2010” book lists. Runner-up for the 2011 Dayton Literary Peace Prize as well as a finalist for a Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, an NAACP Image Award, and an Indies Choice Book of the Year Award in Adult Debut. 

Maaza has won fellowships from Yaddo, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Prague Summer Program, and the Emily Harvey Foundation. She was the 2013 Puterbaugh Fellow and a Runner-up for the 2011 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, as well as a finalist for a Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, an NAACP Image Award, and an Indies Choice Book of the Year Award in Adult Debut.

Mengiste’s second novel, The Shadow King (W. W. Norton) is due to be released in 2014. The Shadow King, is set during World War II. and tells the story of Fascist Italy’s invasion and occupation of Ethiopia and the army of Ethiopian men and women who confront them. 

Looking forward to add The Shadow King on to my reading list.

For more on Maaza Mengiste visit Website | Facebook | Twitter