Ms Khadija Abdalla Bajaber, a Mombasa based writer became the first African author to win the coveted Graywolf literally prize for African literature by independent American publishing house Graywolf press.
Ms Khadija won the prize for her novel manuscript titled ‘The House of Rust’ beating nearly 200 submissions to emerge the winner.
The manuscript by Ms Khadija is a story about a young Mombasa girl who goes to the sea to look for her absentee fisherman father but she is haunted by the demons of her past and she faces a daunting task ahead.
Ms Khadija who has a degree in journalism and is currently working as the Assistant poetry editor for the East Africa issue of the Panorama travel journals will receive an advance payment of Sh1.2 million for winning the prize.
The poet and novelist will also see her book published by an Italian publishing house in 2020 in Italy.
Speaking after being announced the winner, Ms Khadija said she looks forward to working with Graywolf to see other writers get more opportunities in future.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to have had my work in the hands of such genuine lovers of literature and know that they felt a real emotional connection with what I wrote,” said Khadija, as quoted by Baraka FM.
“Graywolf is a dream publisher especially when it comes to introducing writing from the continent to different audiences. I’m grateful that the world I built in the book resonated with someone. It further validates that there is a place for our stories and for our voices, in all variations,” she added.