During the recent Festival du Livre de Paris, the International Publishers Association revealed the six publishers from Algeria, Belarus, Lebanon, Russia, and the U.S. that are on the shortlist for the association's Freedom to Publish prize, the Prix Voltaire:
Mohamad Hadi, Dar Al Rafidain (Lebanon)
Amar Ingrachen, Frantz Fanon (Algeria)
Nadja Kandrusevich, Koska (Belarus, exiled in Sweden)
Michel Moushabeck, Interlink Publishing (U.S.)
Dmitri Strotsev, Hochroth Minsk (Belarus, exiled in Germany)
Georgy Urushadze, Freedom Letters (Russia, exiled in the U.K.)
Kristenn Einarsson, chair of the IPA's Freedom to Publish Committee, commented: "The freedom to publish is vital if the freedom of expression is to exist in practice and if the freedom to read is to be enjoyed fully. The IPA Prix Voltaire recognizes those publishers who fight for their freedom to publish, for their freedom to recognize the remarkable work of a creator and to try to bring it to readers. As we see from the world around us the freedom of expression can erode very quickly with obvious influence on the Freedom to Publish. These are rights that we constantly must fight for, and as a number of publishers in our shortlist this year suggest, from exile if necessary."
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| Muthoni Muiruri | |
Muthoni Muiruri, co-founder of Soma Nami Books, Nairobi's only woman-owned Pan-African bookstore, spoke with OkayAfrica about how "she has helped reshape how stories from the continent are accessed and celebrated."
"I started reading African books because I needed to affirm myself," she said. "Reading African stories reminded me who I was. They helped me reclaim my voice."
Her reading journey sparked the creation of Soma Nami, first as a blog, then a book club, and eventually "a Pan-African bookstore that now stocks literature from all 54 African countries," OkayAfrica wrote. Muiruri and co-founder Wendy Njoroge "set out to build something new--a space where African stories could take center stage." What followed was the creation of Soma Nami Books, the bookstore, the African Book Fair and, more recently, a publishing imprint called Soma Nami Press.
"The African publishing industry is complicated," Muiruri said. "First, there's the language divide--Francophone, Anglophone, Lusophone--and so many books are not translated. Kenya is an Anglophone country, so bringing books from Francophone Africa or Portuguese-speaking countries like Mozambique or Guinea-Bissau became difficult. There was also the issue of logistics. Honestly, it was easier to get books from London or the U.S. than from Cameroon or the DR Congo. It's wild, but that's the reality.
"Still, we didn't shy away. We connected with publishers, translators, and other bookstores and just kept going. Slowly, we built a catalogue. And at the beginning of 2023, we hit the 54th country."
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| Jane Winterbotham | |
Jane Winterbotham, editor-at-large and previous deputy managing director of Walker Books, will retire from the company at the end of May. The Bookseller reported that after moving from Reed/Egmont to Walker as publishing director, more than 25 years ago, she "was one of the first directors named to lead the company succeeding its founders."
"Jane was determined to retain the artist- and author-centered spirit of Walker, originally instilled by Sebastian Walker, and one of the ways she succeeded in doing this was through the support she showed to her staff and the books across the company," the company noted. "Throughout, Jane continued to work on her own list of books--a role she has enjoyed to this day as editor-at-large." --Robert Gray