American Odysseys: Writings by New Americans May 2013

Twenty-two writers from seventeen countries, most of whom are writing in their second language, contribute to this anthology of contemporary immigrant authors. They bring to life stories from around the world, from a traditional Kurdish village to a future, apocalyptic war to a Russian immigrant neighborhood in Pittsburgh. The authors were drawn from the short list of the 2011 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Literature. Among the writers are Ethiopian-born Dinaw Mengestu, the recipient of the 2011 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise; Yugoslavian-born Téa Obreht, the youngest author to receive the Orange Prize in Fiction; Chinese-born Yiyun Li, a MacArthur Genius grantee; and Peruvian-born Farid Matuk, recipient of the 2011 Arab American Book Award.