Ok, I’ve got a serious gripe.
Penguin recently announced an award for African writers called The Penguin Prize for African Writing
"Through this award Penguin aims to highlight the diverse writing talent on the African continent and make new African fiction and non-fiction available to a wider readership."
"Novels of freshness and originality that represent the finest examples of contemporary fiction out of Africa will be considered."
Yet, there is this stipulation:"Submissions in the children’s literature, science fiction or fantasygenres will not be considered"
My first reaction: No science fiction or fantasy genres? WTF?! Well, why the heck not?!
My second reaction: So…just how many Africans are even WRITING fiction directly, openly categorized as “science fiction” and “fantasy”? Sooooo many that this has to be said?
My third reaction: Would novels like Famished Road, Icarus Girl, or Wizard of the Crow be rejected?
My fourth reaction: A prize with this kind of stipulation is openly disrespecting science fiction and fantasy as literature. Good Lord, I felt like I was back in my PhD program again.
My fifth reaction: This will do wonders in inspiring African writers to write science fiction and fantasy (I’m being sarcastic).
My sixth reaction: Well, the judges for the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature were open-minded enough to choose my fantasy novel Zahrah the Windseeker. So, :-P!
Ok, my sixth reaction was me being a bit of an a**. Sort of. There’s a bit of truth there, too. Science fiction and fantasy ARE literature. It’s reductive and blind to think otherwise.
If I sound like I have a real chip on my shoulder with this issue, I certainly do. Long long story, and a long long history with this issue.
I doubt I’ll submit to this prize, but only because my forthcoming novel will be published by Penguin and, well, I think this prize would better benefit someone whose just coming up. I’m happy that the prize exists. It sounds wonderful otherwise.
If I were submitting, I’ve got a “magical realist” novel that I would send, sure. But it’s unfortunate that if I wanted, I couldn’t send my fantasy novel titled the Legend of Arro-yo which is set in 1929’s Southeast Nigeria, touches on the Igbo Women’s War, deals with female circumcision, and colonialism.
More on my take on SF and Africa in the next few weeks. I’m going to write something Nebula Awards Blog. I've just got to cool down and gather my thoughts.
Nnedi
6 comments:
So I guess they wouldn't have liked Beloved, then, since it's clearly a fantasy novel, right?
It's also a bit blatant that they're openly discriminating against SF/F, when other genres seem to be okay. "Got an African mystery? Sure, send it! As long as it doesn't have anything icky like laser guns or dragons in it."
But you mention the way to get around that, in couching a novel as magic realist, or postmodern, or whatever. This kind of exclusion is nothing new, but it's disheartening that the prize organizers are so behind the times.
This annoys me. If they wanted, say, literary novels and no genre at all, that would not make me happy either - but to specifically exclude SF (while allowing thrillers, romances, or horror) makes absolutely no sense and discourages writers from a field where they are, sadly, underrepresented already.
I'm selfish. As a reader, I want the widest possible range of stories. I want to be able to read stories that I *wouldn't* have invented myself. That's sort of the whole point of reading speculative fiction.
I wrote an Penguin an email stating that this stipulation struck me as not only silly, but unwarranted as well. Let's hope someone is listening there...
Chris M. Barkley
If you have time check out this Roll Call, regarding diversity in Sci fi/ Fantasy in YA
http://coloronline.blogspot.com/2009/07/cora-diversity-roll-call-science.html
I loved the Wizard of the Crow
I guess it's been too long since I've read The Famished Road...because I don't remember it being sci-fi or fantasy. *Marching upstairs to my bookcase*
I loved The Shadow Speaker by the way...
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