'I had an inkling I might win'

Henrietta Rose-Innes, winner of the Caine prize for the best short story by an African writer in English, tells Lindesay Irvine the attention is more surprising than her actual victory. Click here to read Poison


Published, Wednesday July 9, 2008, The Guardian.


Henrietta Rose-Innes (left) ... A striking self-possession


"It's fantastic - I really never expected this level of interest," says Henrietta Rose-Innes, still slightly giddy 48 hours after winning this year's Caine prize for her story Poison.
The award for a short story in English by an African writer is perhaps optimistically described by organisers as the continent's equivalent of the Booker, but Rose-Innes is nevertheless enjoying a fairly full beam of spotlight.
The 36-year-old South African's surprise, it should be said, is at the quantity of press attention, rather than her own victory.
Read the full story at The Guardian online.