Helon Habila

The movement of oil around the world's oceans is constantly under enormous pressure, from conflicts between nation states, piracy and climate change. Yet, while the uninterrupted flow of oil is essential to globalization, increasingly so as manufacturing and markets move eastwards to Asia, this threat is largely unreported. Out of sight, out of mind is the general reaction. From reporting aboard giant tankers to examining the geopolitical shift in oil consumption, Oil on Water is an engrossing, all-encompassing look at the security of this vital supply chain.

WAITING FOR AN ANGEL marks the debut of one of Africa's most promising new writers.Lomba is a young journalist living under military regime in Lagos, one of the most dangerous cities in the world. His mind is full of soul music and girls and thenovel he is writing. But his room-mate goes mad and is beaten up by soldiers, his first love is forced to marry a man she doesn't love, and his neighbours are planning a demo which is bound to incite riot and arrests. Lomba can no longer bury his head in the sand. He must write the truth about this reign of terror . . .WAITING FOR AN ANGEL captures the despair, the frenzy and the stubborn hope of a generation daring to speak out against one of the world's most oppressive regimes.

"Acclaimed novelist Helon Habila, who grew up in northern Nigeria, returned to Chibok and gained intimate access to the families of the kidnapped to offer a devastating account of a tragedy that stunned the world. With compassion and a deep understanding of the historical context, Habila tells the stories of the girls and the anguish of their parents; chronicles the rise of Boko Haram and the Nigerian government's inept response; and captures the indifference of the media and the international community whose attention has long moved on. Employing a fiction writer's sensibility and a journalist's curiosity, The Chibok Girls provides poignant portraits of everyday Nigerians whose lives have been transformed by extremist forces. Habila illuminates the long history of colonialism--and unmasks cultural and religious dynamics--that gave rise to the conflicts that have ravaged the region to this day." -- Publisher's description

The Granta Book of the African Short Story introduces a group of African writers described by its editor, Helon Habila, as 'the post-nationalist generation'. Introducing a diverse and dazzling collection from all over the continent - from Morocco to Zimbabwe, Uganda to Kenya - Habila has focused on younger, newer writers, interspersed with some of their older, more established peers, to give a fascinating picture of a new and more liberated Africa. Disdaining the narrowly nationalist and political preoccupations of previous generations, these writers are characterized by their engagement with the wider world and the opportunities offered by the internet, the end of apartheid, the end of civil wars and dictatorships, and the possibilities of free movement around the world. Many of them live outside Africa. Their work is inspired by travel and exile. They are liberated, global and expansive. As Dambudzo Marechera wrote: "If you write for a particular nation, or tribe, then f*** you." These are the stories of a new Africa, punchy, self-confident and defiant. Final selection includes: Rachida El Charni; Henrietta Rose-Innes; George Makana Clarke; Ivan Vladislavik; Mansoura Ez Eldin; Rogerio Mandjate; Aminatta Forna; Igoni Barrett; Patrice Nganang; Leila Aboulela; Petina Gappah; Ala Al-Aswany; Doreen Baingana; EC Osondu Other writers that may appear include: Olufemi Terry; Abdourahman Waberi; Alain Mabanckou; Veronique Tadjo; Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa; Jean-Luc Raharimanana; Leila Lalami; Milly Jafta; Manuel Rui; Uwem Akpan; Chimamanda Adichie; Zoe Wicombe; Phaswane Mpe; Diane Awerbuck; Ondjaki; Dambudzo Marechera; Camara Laye; Alex La Guma; Brian Chakwava; Ala Al-Aswany; Tahar Ben Jelloum; Yvonne Vera; Monica Arac; Abdulrazak Gurnah; Niq Mhlongo; Fatou Diome; Biyi Bandele; Ben Okri; Tayeb Salih.