Boy takes 2005 prize

Boy by Lindsay Collen of Mauritius [click here for a review] has been selected as the best book from Africa for the 2005 Commonwealth Writers prize. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie [click here for a review] was chosen as the best first book.

Books commended by the judges are Graceland by Chris Abani , My Shado by Bryan Rostron, Before I Forget by Andre Brink, and Sovereign Body by Tanure Ojaide.

In the first book category the judges commended Susan Mann's One Tongue Singing and Agiri-Agyei's Unexpected Joy at Dawn.

Judges for the Africa section of the prize were Professor Mary E. Kolawole of Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, Professor John Melamum of the University of Botswana, and Professor Amandina Lihamba of the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

Winning books will be sent to an international panel of judges appointed by the Commonwealth Foundation. The final judging panel will be composed of the four regional chairpersons and chaired by an eminent professor of literature in Malta in March 2005.

The two overall winners will be announced on 30 March 2005. The eight regional winners will then be invited to Malta in November 2005 for a literary programme.