The 2013 prestigious Caine Prize for African
writing has been awarded Tope Folarin; a US-based Nigerian writer.
He received the
£10,000 ($15,000) prize for his short story Miracle, set in an evangelical
Nigerian church in the US city of Texas. The book’s plot raced through a
congregation that gathers at a church to witness the healing powers of a blind
pastor-prophet. Judges for the award described it as a “delightful and
beautifully paced narrative”.
Folarin was among five writers short-listed for the
prize, regarded as Africa’s leading literary award, reports the BBC.
Three other Nigerians were short-listed – Elnathan
John for Bayan Layi, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim for The Whispering Trees and Chinelo
Okparanta for America.
Sierra Leone’s Pede Hollist was the only
non-Nigerian short-listed for his short story Foreign Aid.
Last year’s winner was Rotimi Babatunde for his
story Bombay’s Republic – about Nigerian soldiers who fought in the Burma
campaign during World War II.
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