Isobel Dixon has brokered a deal with Random House Struik's Umuzi imprint for Henrietta Rose-Innes' short story collection and a forthcoming novel to be published in South Africa. Rose-Innes' short story POISON, won the 'African Booker' - the 2008 Caine Prize for African writing and the 2007 HSBC/PEN Short Story Prize and was described by the Guardian as 'a compellingly enigmatic story', and her latest short story, FALLING, is shortlisted for the Willesden Short Story Prize alongside writers such as Wena Poon and Toby Litt. Henrietta Rose-Innes has also written two novels, THE ROCK ALPHABET and SHARK'S EGG, and has attracted praise from J. M. Coetzee for her 'admirably taut clean prose.' Her work has been translated into Arabic, German and Romanian and appeared in a number of international publications. Since 2006 she has been a writer in residence at the University of Cape Town's Creative Writing Centre.

Publisher Frederick de Jager was delighted with the deal: 'It is a rare pleasure to sign up and welcome an author of Henrietta's calibre. We believe that this publishing house, where she is joining some of the finest South African writers of our day, will amplify her voice so that the beauty and wisdom of her prose can reach an ever wider audience.' Umuzi will publish HOMING in July 2010, with the novel to follow in 2011.

Henrietta Rose Innes will be in London for the London Book Fair and is appearing at the Read SA 'Meet the Writers' event alongside Isobel Dixon and Imraan Coovadia on 22 April at the Westfield Centre. For more information on the event see here.

Praise for Henrietta Rose-Innes:

'Rose-Innes is a writer almost in the Virginia Woolf mould - lateral of mind and poetic in her style of narration.' 

-- Leon de Kock, Sunday Times

'Henrietta Rose-Innes is a master of the beautifully thought-out metaphor. Her prose is elegant and liquid, and carries you along throughout.' 

-- Helen Brain, Cape Times

'Henrietta Rose-Innes writes an admirably taut, clean prose...a welcome addition to the new South African literature.'  

-- J M Coetzee

Some more information on the South Africa 2010: One Nation, Many Voices programme around London Book Fair:

For more information on the British Council programme around London (including Foyles, the British Library and the South Bank) and beyond, click here.

For the professional seminars, including South African authors, organised by London Book Fair at Earls Court during the Fair itself (19-21 April), click here.

In association with English PEN and the British Council, the PEN Literary Cafe located in Earls Court 2 will also host events. Foyles, the official LBF bookshop for 2010, is located within the Literary Cafe where authors who are interviewed will sign copies of their latest titles. For this programme click here.