Seventh Street Alchemy

The Caine Prize for African Writing #2004

by Brian Chikwava

The 2004 winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing, Brian Chikwava's "Seventh Street Alchemy" is featured alongside shortlisted stories from 2004, compositions from the Caine Prize's March 2005 Workshop for African Writers, and Charles Mungoshi's previously unpublished "Letter from a Friend" in this inspired collection of work from some of Africa's most promising young and new writers.

Genres: Africa, Short Stories

228 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2006

About the author

Brian Chikwava is a Zimbabwean writer and musician. His short story "Seventh Street Alchemy" was awarded the 2004 Caine Prize for African writing in English; Chikwava became the first Zimbabwean to do so. He has been a Charles Pick fellow at the University of East Anglia, and lives in London. He continues to write in England and put out an album titled Jacaranda Skits.
Chikwava won the fifth Caine Prize for African Writing in 2004 with his short story "Seventh Street Alchemy" (which was published in Writing Still, Weaver Press, Harare, 2003),the first Zimbabwean to win the prize. Making the award, the chair of the judges, Alvaro Ribeiro, described the story as: "A very strong narrative in which Brian Chikwava of Zimbabwe claims the English language as his own, and English with African characteristics.... A triumph for the long tradition of Zimbabwe writing in the face of Zimbabwe’s uncertain future!"

Reviews

[Anetq · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize I'd read this years ago as part of a collection of Caine Prize winners - this a great tight little story about the goings on in a poverty ridden part of Harare.

[K's Bognoter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Altman møder Kafka i Harare i zimbabwiske Brian Chikwavas fine novelle 'Et øjeblik på 7th Street.'

Læs hele anmeldelsen her: http://bognoter.dk/2016/05/28/brian-c...