In a recent announcement, The Commonwealth Short Story Prize announced this year’s regional winners. Hana Gammon emerged Africa regional winner for her piece ‘The Undertaker’s Apprentice.’
“Carefully observed, patiently narrated,” Rémy Ngamije, Africa regional judge, notes. He is also a previous regional winner. He describes Gammon’s command of language as ‘gentle’ and ‘powerful’: “Through its strangely refreshing narrative and poignant ruminations, it shows the diversity of stories from the African continent; its selection as Africa Regional Winner is a testament to the richness of continental storytelling and the ability for stories to be both intensely personal and universal.”
” ‘The Undertaker’s Apprentice’ follows the story of a group of children and their interactions with their small town’s sombre but kind mortician. As they grow up, they are forced to question issues of growth, decay, and exchange between different states of being.”
Of being announced winner, Hana delights: ‘I was surprised and absolutely ecstatic when I heard that my story had been selected as the regional winner. I wasn’t expecting it to get so far in the competition, especially since I’m an unpublished writer. I hope that my story will be able to speak, in a soft but clear voice, to its readers, and that it might contribute in its own small way to how we embrace life, death, and change. These themes have become even closer to me since my Oupa passed away at the beginning of this year. He was an esteemed writer and academic, and one of the first people to encourage my love for writing. I would like to dedicate this story to him.’
Other regional winners include:
Agnes Chew (Singapore, Asia), for ‘Oceans Away from My Homeland’ ; Rue Baldry (United Kingdom, Canada and Europe) for ‘Lech, Prince, and the Nice Things’; Kwame McPherson (Jamaica, Caribbean) for ‘Ocoee’; and Himali McInnes (New Zealand, Pacific) for ‘Kilinochchi’.
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction from the Commonwealth. Regional winners each receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives £5,000. This year, the overall winner will be announced in an online ceremony on 27 June. Entries of regional winners will also be published in a special print edition by Paper + Ink and online on Granta.
Hana Gammon was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2002, and has had a love for writing ever since she could first pick up a pen. She is currently studying for a BA in Language and Culture at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Congratulations, Hana. Goodluck!
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