Andrew Chatora becomes a publisher!

 

Prolific Zimbabwean novelist, Andrew Chatora, has established a publishing company at his UK base and is looking for new manuscripts from new and established authors.

The specific focus is fiction and memoir.

Called ‘Friesian Publishing’, the newly minted independent literary imprint based in London, derives its name from the Friesian horse. Long associated with strength, the Friesian horse is also a symbol of elegance and endurance. The emblem reflects the press’s editorial philosophy which is stated as “a commitment to publishing books of substance that can stand the test of time while remaining attentive to the moral and imaginative concerns of the present.”

Speaking from London, the author of Diaspora Dreams says, “Friesian Publishing was founded with the aim of publishing books that endure beyond the immediate moment.” He adds that they are seeking work that engages thoughtfully with questions of identity, history, migration, power and belonging.

Their open call for new work appears clearly aggressive, as the imprint has simultaneously announced its first forthcoming title, Unstoppable March of the Human Condition: Essays on Politics and Literature, a nonfiction essay collection by Andrew Chatora himself.

The collection brings together a series of essays exploring how literary culture intersects with questions of power, historical memory and the evolving moral imagination of the modern world. This brings to mind Ngugi’s words in support of his writing of Homecoming: “In a novel, the writer is totally immersed in a world of imagination… At his most intense and creative, the writer is transfigured, he is possessed…(but) in the essay, the writer can be more direct, didactic, polemical, or can merely state his beliefs and faith…to define his beliefs, attitudes and outlook in the more argumentative for of the essay.”

Essays such as Andrew Chatora’s enable authors to act as public intellectuals to address issues in real-time, sometimes offering more credible, direct insights than the mainstream media.

This route has been taken by many other great writers of fiction; Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiongo, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chenjerai Hove and more recently, Tsitsi Dangarembwa.

In all these essays, the legitimate role of the contemporary writer is uppermost. These essays offer a unique reading experience, appreciating great writers like Charles Mungoshi, Ngugi wa Thiongo, Yvonne Vera, Ayi kwei Armah and many other luminaries who have influenced the author’s own writing journey and consciousness over the years. Wide-ranging in scope, the essays span literature, history, politics, exile, language, and identity. 

Chatora writes about writers he admires (Charles Mungoshi, Ngugi wa Thiongo, James Baldwin, Chenjerai Hove, Yvonne Vera etc) and reflects on the condition of exile and the function of literature. Celebrated literary critic, writer and poet Onai Mushava makes insightful guest contributions to the collection.

Andrew Chatora is the author of four published fictional books and has developed a reputation as an important fiery voice within Afro diasporic literary discourse. His editorial stewardship is expected to shape the imprint’s transnational outlook, particularly its engagement with writing emerging from African and diaspora contexts.

Writers wishing to submit manuscripts to Friesian Publishing may do so via email:

submissions@friesianpublishing.com. Full submission guidelines and further information about the imprint can be found at:

https://www.friesianpublishing.com