Iranian Author Shortlisted for Commonwealth Prize
TEHRAN -- Iranian author Mehdi M. Kashani from Toronto has been shortlisted for the prestigious Commonwealth Short Story Prize for his story ‘So Long, Gregor’ along with Canadian writer Trevor Corkum.
‘So Long, Gregor’ is about a divorced father who seizes every opportunity to bond with his young son, even if it involves trapping a cockroach and calling it Gregor Samsa. However, the story reveals that the Kafkaesque amusement doesn’t appeal to everyone.
Trevor Corkum has also been shortlisted for the prize for his story Lost Boys.
Five regional winners will be selected, one representing each Commonwealth region: Canada and Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
An overall winner will be selected from these five regional winners. The other four finalists in the Canada and Europe category are:
‘The Fisherwoman’ by Eva Koursoumba (Cyprus) translated from Greek by Lina Protopapa
‘Lech, Prince, and the Nice Things’ by Rue Baldry (UK)
‘Crossing Lake Abaya’ by Gail Davey (UK)
‘Because You Drowned’ by Jay McKenzie (UK)
The regional winners will each receive £2,500 (C$4,148.02) and the overall winner will receive £5,000 (C$8296.05).
They will be revealed on May 17, 2023, with the overall winner being announced on June 27, 2023.