Addis Ababa Noir (Akashic Noir)

Included in African Book Addict's 2020 New Releases Preview

Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city.

Addis Ababa (simply "Addis" to locals), considered by some to be the original home of humankind, is a sprawling melting pot of cultures where rich and poor live side by side in relative harmony--until they don't. Maaza Mengiste's award-winning fiction and nonfiction have consistently reflected the lives of Ethiopia's everyday people, against the backdrop of migration, war, and exile. Here, in this masterfully edited collection showcasing the country's finest literary talent, Mengiste brings this same razor-sharp sensibility to her city of birth, pulling back the curtain on despair and depravity, offering an intimate glimpse into the raw, beating heart of Addis Ababa.

Brand-new stories by: Maaza Mengiste, Adam Reta, Mahtem Shiferraw, Linda Yohannes, Sulaiman Addonia, Meron Hadero, Mikael Awake, Lelissa Girma, Rebecca Fisseha, Solomon Hailemariam, Girma Fantaye, Teferi Nigussie Tafa, Hannah Giorgis, and Bewketu Seyoum.