‘Perro ladrando a su amo’. Premio de novela Fundación Monteleón 2018

Nota de prensa

El Premio de novela Fundación Monteleón 2018, cuyo jurado está presidido por el académico de la RAE Salvador Gutiérrez, ha recaído en la obra “Perro ladrando a su amo” del escritor extremeño Javier Sachez. Ha sido el elegida de entre las 246 obras presentadas, la mayoría procedentes de España, pero también de otros países como Argentina, México, Brasil, Estados Unidos. E incluso una remitida desde Mongolia.

El jurado calificador entiende que se trata de una novela urbana, que aborda temas de actualidad como la marginación, la violencia de género, la soledad de la vejez y el desprecio de los jóvenes hacia las personas mayores. El premio para la obra  es de 6.000 euros y su publicación en la Editorial Eolas.

Kumi William DuBois: “This book called ‘Beautiful Africa’ is the beauty of Africa painted in words”

A young and rising Ghanian poet

• The people, the natural resources and the culture is enough to say Africa is beautiful.
• Readers who visit his blog always find good poems on daily basis.

Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and WordPress

By: Alberto Berenguer and Frank Osei Nyame

Kumi William DuBois, Ghanian poet

First, briefly who is Kumi William Du Bois? What are you about?
I am a young man in my 20’s who loves words and art in a bigger perspective. From Kindergarten, I have been known as a poetry lover. I decided to start writing in my Junior High school days due to a poem I read; the poem was that of David Diop “The Vultures”. The poem really fought its way into my heart and made me start writing. I am now pursuing a Degree in communication at the Ghana Institute of Journalism. Day dreaming is one thing I cannot live without for a moment. It keeps me going and writing.

Tell us about your book and your literary style of writing. How effective do you think infusing the local language, TWI, into your poem will be to a foreigner who does not know the language?
Beautiful Africa is an anthology I published at the age of 19 with other featured poets from Ghana and the United States of America. The book is not just an anthology but an anthology with 100 literary devices. There are 20 poems in the book which 12 of those poems are mine and the remaining 8 poems are those of the featured poets. The book is available online only.
My writing style is very unique due to the way and topics I usually write about.
Poetry is the native language of the heart you don’t need an interpreter for your heart to understand the poem. Twi in Ghana is one of the most used local languages even when foreigners come to explore Ghana, they fall for the language and since I was born in this language I am very fluent in it. Infusing twi in my writing helps me to create a connection between my reader who less understand English I always have a glossary column where I explain all the local dialect  I used in the poem so this serves as a guide to the foreigner who does not understand the langue. Also doing this makes the poem more indigenous.

Janna Lei: “My true inspiration came from ‘ghosts’ that have followed me all throughout life”

Sweet Dreams of Josephine is a compilation of dreams and poetry, with an erotic twist. It is a novel filled with drama, love, lust, magic and voodoo

The second book in the Josephine trilogy will be ready by January, 2015. It will be named, «Curse of the Blood Diamond»

Follow to author on Facebook

By: Alberto Berenguer and Frank Osei Nyame

Janna Lei Robinson

The interview starts asking you to tell us how you realized you were ready to publish your first book. Did you have any doubt?
I realized that I was ready to publish my first book after 2 years and traveling across the country trying to run away from my horrible life. I always knew that I was a poet, but the written arts didn’t become quite as important to me until I went through some of the hardest times in my life. I was experiencing a really tumultuous time with my marriage and fell into a deep depression, where it seemed as though my only escape were words and dreams. I remember laying awake at night while the rest of the world slept, scribing my hopes, pains, wishes and dreams on loose leaf sheets of paper until my hand cramped and the wax from countless candles evaporated into the air of my desires. I’ve never doubted myself as far as writing or poetry is concerned,  but I had no idea that my words would reach as many readers as they have. When I published my book, I had big dreams of making money, but the more I learned about myself and life, the more I learned that money is the least important of my concerns.

And for those who still do not know your book, Sweet Dreams of Josephine, how would describe it?
«Sweet Dreams of Josephine» is a compilation of dreams and poetry, with an erotic twist. It is about a lady named Josephine, who idolizes (real life) cocaine Queen-pen, Griselda Blanco, who runs away from her abusive, international drug dealer husband to gain independence and become a madame. It is a novel filled with drama, love, lust, magic and voodoo.