CAPTIVE, new short fiction from Africa

456pp., paperback, Karavan Press, First SA Edition, Cape Town, 2025

ISBN: 9781776472642

Also published in the USA and Europe in 2025

In this anthology from Short Story Day Africa 2025, thirty-three stories by eleven writers from Africa and the African diaspora explore love, migration, ambition, motherhood, ageing, culture, folklore, AI, mental health, fairytales, possible futures, and more.

The stories are the result of a mentorship curriculum initiated by Short Story Day Africa. In a series of workshops talented writers were exposed to the techniques and craft of six African writers and editors and one British literary agent, and supported to develop work towards publication.

"With Captive, Short Story Day Africa once again showcases what is at the heart of African writing - bold creativity and diversity, proudly unapologetic, and deserving of being read across the globe." Karen Jennings, author of An Island

"With Captive, Short Story Day Africa upends our expectations of how a short fiction anthology should be put together. In here, all good things come in three. We linger—even luxuriate—in the writers' imaginations for longer than a single story, witnessing in real time the thrilling shapeshifting of craft, vision, and preoccupation ... The stories in this anthology, like all good stories, defy cursory summary. And like all good stories: they require digging-into. What a wonderful addition to the literary landscape, what a delectable survey of the breadth, and indeed depth, of the African literary imaginary."  Idza Luhumyo, 2022 Caine Prize winning author of "Five Years Next Sunday"