Dr. Sule E. Egya (Nigerian) has emerged Commonwealth Book Prize Regional Winner (Africa)

Kiyo: Commonwealth foundation has announced the 2013 Commonwealth Book Prize regional winners for Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, Caribbean and the Pacific.

Dr. Sule E. Egya, who is an associate professor in Department of English, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, has emerged as the Commonwealth Book Prize Regional winner (Africa) for his novel ‘Sterile Sky.’

KiyoandFilo Blog gathered that Dr.Egya, whose pen-name is E. E. SULE is the author of the short story collections ‘Impotent Heavens’ and ‘Dream and Shame’, and the poetry volumes Naked Sun, Knifing Tongues and What the Sea Told Me.

His poems, short stories, and critical work have appeared in numerous journals, anthologies and literary magazines. Sterile Sky is his first novel.

Dr. Sule, who was full of excitement said; 

“This is great news for me! I’m bursting with excitement! I consider it a milestone in my career as a writer – that moment you think you have got a needed impetus, in fact a revelation, to perform better, to aim higher. I also feel confident that Sterile Sky is a worthy work; it has begun its own journey in life. I sincerely thank everyone involved in making it what it is.”

Filo: Other regional winners are;

Nayomi Munaweera for ‘Island of a Thousand Mirrors’ (Sri Lanka) - ASIA

Lisa O’Donnell for ‘The Death of Bees’ (United Kingdom) - CANADA and EUROPE

Ezekel Alan for ‘Disposable People’ (Jamaica) - CARIBBEAN

Michael Sala for ‘The Last Thread’ (Australia) – PACIFIC

KiyoandFilo Blog also learnt that this year’s Commonwealth Book Prize was awarded for best first book and it was open to writers who have had their first novel (full length work of fiction) published between 1 January and 31 December 2012.