Author Sunny Singh calls British publishing ‘pathetic’ as inaugural £1000 Jhalak prize receives only 51 entriesThe chair of the judges for the inaugural Jhalak prize,the author Sunny Singh, has branded British publishers “pathetic” after the award created to recognise black, or Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) writers received only 51 submissions so far.
The £1000 prize was set up to recognise “[authors] who feel that their work is often marginalised unless it fulfils a romantic fetishisation of their cultural heritage”. Despite the intentionally broad entry requirements – it is open to BAME writers based in the UK working in any genre,regardless of whether they are self-published or with a publisher – the award has received startlingly few entries, with only two weeks to go until submissions close. Related: Report finds UK books world has marginalised and pigeonholed ethnic minorities Related: Could there really be only one original black male novelist in Britain? | Arifa Akbar Related: Guardian and 4th Estate BAME prize reaches out to untapped talent Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com