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Brittle Paper Shares 100 Notable African Books of 2022

By Florence Utor
07 December 2022   |   3:21 pm
Brittle Paper has shared its 100 notable African books of 2022 list.

Brittle Paper has shared its 100 notable African books of 2022 list.

A statement by the company said: “This year, the company broke its three-year tradition of compiling a list of 50 notable African books and upped the number to 100. The reason is simple. The African literary scene has expanded in the last few years. There were just too many good books to leave out.’’

The notable African Books of the Year list, according to the statement, was launched in 2018 to highlight the most impactful books in a given year. “Our objective is to show the world how richly and expansively African literary culture is growing, and to introduce readers to new books, particularly books from under-represented parts of the continent.’’

Nigerian literature Professor and Editor-in-Chief of Brittle Paper, Dr Ainehi Edoro-Glines, said the list introduces readers to the wealth of contemporary African writing: “This list is the result of writers and publishers working hard year-round to keep the African literary space vibrant and well-stocked with good books. The 100 Notable African Books list is a celebration of African literary culture as much as it is a celebration of the individual books and authors. I invite readers to broaden their minds and worldviews by reading the books on the list.”

According to him, this year, 23 countries are represented, including Djibouti and Burkina Faso, for the first time. The cohort of authors runs the gamut of established (Tsitsi Dangaremgba, Niyi Osundare, Nnedi Okorafor, Sofia Samatar) and brand new voices (Mary Watson, Rimma Onoseta, Noor Naga, and many more.)

The array of genres featured include; speculative fiction, YA, poetry, queer writing, memoirs, travel narrative, a political thriller, crime, comics, romance fiction, satire and the absurd, historical fiction, children’s books, and more. 30 per cent of the authors on the list are debut writers, a sign that the culture is getting a good amount of new blood.

African indie presses also made a showing in this year’s list. Bakwa, Masobe, Olongo, Black Bird, Iskanchi, Griot’s Lounge, Cassava, Blackbird Books, Uhlanga, Farafina, Paivapo, Abibiman Publishing, Narrative Landscape, and Tampered Press are some of the presses represented on the list.

Brittle Paper congratulated and also celebrated the authors and publishers featured on the list and urged the public to join in celebrating their success and show them love by sharing the list which can be found on its website https://brittlepaper.com/

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