Wainaina wins the 3rd Caine Prize for African Writing

Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina has won the 2002 Caine Prize for African Writing, for his story "Discovering Home", published on the internet by G21Net in 2001.

The short story was regarded by the jury, headed by the Egyptian-born novelist Ahdaf Soueif, as “an accomplished and subtly imagined story. It shifts between different African locations with wit, wisdom and originality. [A] brilliant augur of future work”

Wainaina was born in Kenya in 1971. He studied in Kenya and South Africa. He currently lives in Cape Town, where he writes regularly for the Weekend Argus and the Sunday Times Lifestyle magazine. His articles have also appeared in the Mail and Guardian, Y, SL and Cape Times. He is working on a novel Flights of My Fancy scheduled for publication in 2003 by Kwela Books.

Other shortlisted writers are

• Amanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria) for ‘You in America’ from Zoetrope: All-Story Extra, USA (2001)
• Florent Couao-Zotti (Benin) for ‘Small Hells on Street Corners’ from Fools, Thieves and Other Dreamers – Stories from Francophone Africa, Weaver Press, Harare (2001)
• Allan Kolski Horwitz (South Africa) for ‘Courageous and Steadfast’ from Unity in Flight, an anthology of short fiction published by Botsotso Publishing, Johannesburg (2001)
• Rory Kilalea (Zimbabwe) for ‘Zimbabwe Boy’ from Asylum 98 and Other Stories, Fish Publishing, County Cork (2001)

The Caine Prize, awarded annually since 1999 for African creative writing, is named after the late British businessman Sir Michael Caine, former chairman of Booker plc and Chairman of the Booker Prize management committee for almost 25 years.

Related site

• The World’s Magazine at G21Net
• Info on Caine Prize rules at www.caineprize.com

Source: Caine Prize press release.
Source: BPN 09/09/02

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