Ama: A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade wins Commonwealth Writers Prize

South African-born writer, Manu Herbstein has won the prestigious Commonwealth Writers Best First Book Prize 2002 for his novel Ama: A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade published by e-reads, USA.

The novel is the first title published initially as an e-book and print-on-demand edition to win a major literary award. Herbstein's historical fictional novel was judged as 'a book written with tremendous moral passion about a monstrous episode in human history'.

At the Award ceremony held in Edinburgh, Scotland on April 24, 2002, the Australian writer, Richard Flanagan won the main Best Book Prize for 2002 for his novel Gould's Book of Fish published by Picador, Australia and Atlantic Books, UK.

Related sites

• For more about Herbstein and the novel, see www.ama.africatoday.com
• See the article on the prize in BPN 30, May 2002
• For more info on the Commonwealth Writers Prize
  

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