[The JRB Daily] Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo become first Senegalese writers to win Caine Prize for African Writing
Senegalese writers Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo have been awarded the 2023 Caine Prize for African Writing for their…
Category: Short Stories
[The JRB Daily] 2023 Caine Prize for African Writing shortlist announced, showcasing ‘the depth and scope of writing on the continent and beyond’
The shortlist for the 2023 Caine Prize for African Writing, awarded annually for a short story by an African writer…
[The JRB Daily] 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize regional winners announced—including this year’s youngest winner Hana Gammon from South Africa
Header image (l to r, top to bottom): Hana Gammon, Agnes Chew, Rue Baldry, Kwame McPherson, Himali McInnes The regional…
[The JRB exclusive] Read Keith Oliver Lewis’s short story ‘Blue Boy Lagoon’, the winner of the 2023 Short.Sharp.Stories Awards
The JRB presents ‘Blue Boy Lagoon’ by Keith Oliver Lewis, the winning short story from this year’s Short.Sharp.Stories Awards. The…
‘She sat at her dressing table, a plastic bag open on her lap, full of the hair that she had just scissored off her head’—Read an excerpt from Gothataone Moeng’s debut, Call and Response
The JRB presents an excerpt from Call and Response, the debut short story collection from Gothataone Moeng. Call and ResponseGothataone…
‘Immigrant women are bones to be pulverised into animal fodder’—Read an excerpt from María Fernanda Ampuero’s new short story collection Human Sacrifices
The JRB presents an extract from ‘Biography’, excerpted from Human Sacrifices, the new short story collection by acclaimed Latin American…
[The JRB Daily] 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist announced—including six new writers from Africa
Header image: Africa Region shortlistees Buke Abduba, Josiah Mbote, HB Asari, Michael Boyd, Hana Gammon, Matshediso Radebe The shortlist for…
[The JRB exclusive] ‘Papa Mzimkulu dared me to find a woman more beautiful than my mother, said it was impossible’—Read an excerpt from Nthikeng Mohlele’s new short story collection A Little Light
The JRB presents an excerpt from A Little Light, the forthcoming collection of short stories by Nthikeng Mohlele. A Little…
‘With all these familiar horrors, who in the hell was going to believe in zombies?’—Read an excerpt from Nana Nkweti’s debut short story collection Walking on Cowrie Shells
The JRB presents an extract from ‘It Just Kills You Inside’, excerpted from Walking on Cowrie Shells, the debut short…
[The JRB exclusive] ‘The boy’s eyes gleamed as if they were the only things in the entire world that belonged to him’—Read an excerpt from Troy Onyango’s debut For What Are Butterflies Without Their Wings
The JRB presents an excerpt from For What Are Butterflies Without Their Wings, the debut short story collection from Troy…
[Fiction Issue] Read ‘The Auction’, a new short story by Makhosazana Xaba
The JRB presents new short fiction by Makhosazana Xaba. I am telling the life story of a blue wedding suit…
[Fiction Issue] Read ‘Let The Worms Have It’, a new short story by Eckard Smuts
The JRB presents new short fiction by Eckard Smuts. Let The Worms Have It By Eckard Smuts 8-45 When using…
[Fiction Issue] Read ‘Sebenza’, a new short story by Wamuwi Mbao
The JRB presents new fiction by Wamuwi Mbao. Sebenza Sebenza brought recruiters to our villagesAnd took men far away to…
[Fiction Issue] Read ‘Let That Sink In’, a psest by Ben Williams
The JRB presents a psest by Ben Williams. Let That Sink In A writer once told me he carried around…
[Fiction Issue] Read an excerpt from Lidudumalingani’s new short story ‘Everywhere, Nowhere’, excerpted from the new edition of Imbiza
The JRB presents an excerpt from ‘Everywhere, Nowhere’, new short fiction by Lidudumalingani, excerpted from the new edition of Imbiza…
[Fiction Issue] Read ‘teachers’, a short story by Masande Ntshanga
The JRB presents a short story by Masande Ntshanga, never before published in English outside of the limited edition chapbook…
[Fiction Issue] Read ‘The Floating House’, an exclusive excerpt from Meron Hadero’s debut A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times, the debut collection of short…
[Fiction Issue] ‘She prophesises bad omens when birds are kept caged’—Read an excerpt from Zaheera Jina Asvat’s Tears of the Weaver
The JRB presents an excerpt from Zaheera Jina Asvat’s short story ‘Birds Kept in Cages, Curse …’, from Tears of…
[Fiction Issue] ‘We thought she’d welcome us. We thought it was simple’—Read an excerpt from Saleh Addonia’s short story ‘She is Another Country’
The JRB presents an excerpt from ‘She is Another Country’, a short story from The Feeling House, the debut collection…
[Fiction Issue] Read an excerpt from Victor Forna’s short story ‘They Will Fly with Blooded Wings’, from the Caine Prize anthology A Mind to Silence and Other Stories
The JRB presents an excerpt from Victor Forna’s short story ‘They Will Fly with Blooded Wings’, excerpted from A Mind…
‘I remember the day Nelson Mandela returned, exactly thirty years after his death’—Read Siyawa by Kneo Mokgopa, from Our Move Next
The JRB presents an excerpt from Our Move Next: Digital Folklore. Our Move Next: Digital FolkloreCurated by Sarah Summers and…
[The JRB exclusive] Read ‘Until It Doesn’t’, Roy Udeh-Ubaka’s ‘brave and deeply moving’ Gerald Kraak Prize-winning story
The JRB is proud to present ‘Until It Doesn’t’, Roy Udeh-Ubaka’s Gerald Kraak Prize-winning story, excerpted from the new anthology…
‘What do you think this crowd would do to a baby thief, if you were caught?’—Read an excerpt from Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi’s debut novel Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions
The JRB presents an excerpt from Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions: A Novel in Interlocking Stories, the debut novel from…
[The JRB Daily] ‘An incandescent story’—Kenyan writer Idza Luhumyo wins 2022 Caine Prize for African Writing
Kenyan writer Idza Luhumyo’s has been awarded the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing for her short story ‘Five Years…
‘For me, the truth is important because we have been fed so many books with lies’—An interview with Terry-Ann Adams on their new collection of short stories, White Chalk
The JRB Editor Jennifer Malec chatted to Terry-Ann Adams about writing, representation, and their new collection of short stories, White…
‘Writing is open to everyone, regardless of their background or where they’re from’—An interview with Eswatini’s first Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner Ntsika Kota
The JRB Editor Jennifer Malec chatted to Ntsika Kota, winner of the 2022 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for his story, ‘and the…
‘No one was going to make me feel ashamed of where I come from or who I am’—Read an excerpt from Terry-Ann Adams’s new book White Chalk
The JRB presents an excerpt from White Chalk, the new collection of short stories from Terry-Ann Adams. White ChalkTerry-Ann AdamsJacana…
[The JRB Daily] ‘Talent that will no doubt take the world by storm’—Ntsika Kota becomes first writer from Eswatini to win global Commonwealth Short Story Prize
Ntsika Kota has been announced as the overall winner of the 2022 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, making history as the…
[The JRB Daily] 2022 Caine Prize for African Writing shortlist announced—‘a staggering feast’
The shortlist for the 2022 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing, awarded annually for a short story by an African…
[The JRB Daily] 2022 Commonwealth Short Story Prize regional winners announced—including first-ever win for Eswatini
The regional winners of the 2022 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, known as the ‘world’s most global literary prize’, have been…
[The JRB Daily] Short Story Day Africa announce 12 writers selected for 2022 Inkubator project
The twelve writers selected for the first Short Story Day Africa Inkubator project have been announced. 36 Short Stories, 12…
‘Recitatif is cunning in its ability to expose us’—Masiyaleti Mbewe reflects on Toni Morrison’s only short story
To respect this text is to revisit it: Masiyaleti Mbewe reviews the new standalone edition of Toni Morrison’s Recitatif. RecitatifToni…
New short fiction: ‘Home™’ by Eckard Smuts
The JRB presents a new short story by Eckard Smuts. Home™ There it was, suspended like a giant Tinkertoy assemblage in…
Read ‘Garden Made of Water’, new short fiction by Ema Babikwa, from the forthcoming Blood Beats collection Something in the Water
The JRB presents new fiction from Ema Babikwa, from the forthcoming anthology Something in the Water: New Short Fiction from…
‘As a woman, one has to fight’—Read an excerpt from Niq Mhlongo’s new short story collection For You, I’d Steal a Goat
The JRB presents an excerpt from ‘The In-laws’, a short story from Niq Mhlongo’s new collection, For You, I’d Steal…
[The JRB Daily] ‘Tracing a ring around the world’—2022 International Booker Prize longlist announced
The thirteen novels longlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize have been revealed. This year’s longlist includes work translated into…
New flash fiction: The Burning Fruit by Abbey Khambule
The JRB presents a new short story by Abbey Khambule. The Burning Fruit The family room is wreathed in white…
[Fiction Issue] ‘Archival Technics’, a new short story by Patrick Flanery
The JRB presents a new short story by Patrick Flanery, which is part of a larger work. Archival Technics They say…
[Fiction Issue] ‘A Second Mowing’, a new short story by Simon van Schalkwyk
The JRB presents a new short story by Simon van Schalkwyk. A Second Mowing Alan was the gardener. I found him…
[Fiction Issue] ‘The Wood Carving’, a new short story by Kiprop Kimutai
The JRB presents a new short story by Kiprop Kimutai. The Wood Carving On the bus to Donholm, I sat next…