Henrietta Rose-Innes was a runner-up in the 2010 Willesden Short Story Prize for her story 'Falling', along with Willie Davis's 'Emily Strabnow's Freckles'. The Prize, which focuses on the year's best short stories from both award-winning and brilliant new writers, was won by Wena Poon for her story 'The Architects' at a prize-giving reading at the Charles Dickens Museum in London on Saturday night. An anthology of the shortlisted and commended short stories, WILLESDEN HERALD: NEW SHORT STORIES 4, is out now from Pretend Genius Press and available to buy here.

Henrietta Rose-Innes is the author of the short story 'Poison', winner of the 2008 Caine Prize for African writing and the 2007 HSBC/PEN Short Story Prize, and described by the Guardian as 'a compellingly enigmatic story'. She has also written two novels, THE ROCK ALPHABET and SHARK'S EGG, and has been praised by J. M. Coetzee for her 'admirably taut clean prose'. Her latest short story collection, HOMING, and a forthcoming novel were bought at auction by Random House Struik's Umuzi imprint, with HOMING to be published in July 2010, and the novel to follow in 2011.

Rose-Innes will be in London for the London Book Fair, for which South Africa is the country of market focus. She will also be hosting a table at the Read SA 'Meet the Writers' dinner alongside Imraan Coovadia, Isobel Dixon and others at London's Westfield Centre on 22 April, and discussing her work together with fellow Caine Prize winner Brian Chikwava as part of a series of South African events at the Travel Bookshop on 15 April.

For a map showing the location of the Westfield Centre click here, and for the Travel Bookshop 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: 
 
South Africa is the Country of Market Focus for London Book Fair in April 2010 and a stellar array of Blake Friedmann authors will attend and take part in the South Africa 2010: One Nation, Many Voices programme. For fuller story see here.
 
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 Market Focus 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.
 
For more information on South African events at the Travel Bookshop see here.
 
For an overview of all London Book Fair events and seminars, and to search by day or type of event click here.
 
And for information and tickets for the Read SA charity 'Meet the Writers' dinner, on Thursday 22 April with tables hosted by various South African authors, including Imraan Coovadia, Henrietta Rose-Innes and Isobel Dixon, click here!