{"id":99577,"date":"2026-04-14T16:22:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T16:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story"},"modified":"2026-04-14T16:54:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T16:54:05","slug":"mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story","title":{"rendered":"Mia Couto Featured in Penguin&#8217;s International Short Story"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ap-summary\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\n<h4>What You Need to Know<\/h4>\n<p>Mia Couto, a prominent Mozambican writer, has been included in The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, which features 34 stories from authors worldwide. The anthology highlights diverse voices, including Couto&#8217;s story &#8216;The War of the Clowns&#8217;, translated into English. This collection aims to broaden literary horizons beyond the Western canon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"ap-article-header-tag\"> <strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Mozambique. <\/strong> <\/span>Mozambican writer Mia Couto has been included in an international short story anthology published by Penguin, which aims to showcase some of the best short fiction in the world.<\/p>\n<p>The Mozambican author and Brazilian writer Carol Bensimon are the only Portuguese-language authors featured in the anthology, which seeks to present the best of global short fiction.<\/p>\n<p>Released in English this month, The Penguin Book of the International Short Story was edited by Rabih Alameddine and John Freeman and brings together 34 stories by authors such as Japan\u2019s Haruki Murakami, Argentina\u2019s Mariana Enriquez and Samanta Schweblin, Ireland\u2019s Colm To\u0301ibi\u0301n, China\u2019s Can Xue, as well as Nobel Prize winners including South Korea\u2019s Han Kang, Poland\u2019s Olga Tokarczuk and China\u2019s Mo Yan.<\/p>\n<p>From Mia Couto, the anthology includes The War of the Clowns, translated into English by Eric M.B. Becker. The story is taken from the book Esto\u0301rias Abensonhadas, published in Portugal by Caminho in 1994 and reissued several times since, and is recommended reading in the National Reading Plan.<\/p>\n<p>From Carol Bensimon, the collection features Sparks, translated by Beth Fowler. The story was first published in a 2012 issue of Granta, which highlighted the best Brazilian writers under 40, and later became the opening chapter of the novel We All Loved Cowboys, published in 2013.<\/p>\n<p>On Instagram, Bensimon wrote: \u201cSurreal to be alongside so many writers I admire. The world is being generous to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe United States is far from the centre of the literary universe. This anthology is reminiscent of iconic director Bong Joon Ho\u2019s line about overcoming \u2018the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles\u2019 to enter a new world of film\u2014the work of thoughtful and accomplished translators opens the door wide for those curious about what lies beyond the Western canon and classroom. Writers from six continents, ranging from new voices to literary icons, each offer a window into a distinct point of view, both transcending and illuminating their place of origin. They offer not only captivating prose, but a reminder of the power of the imagination across space and time,\u201d reads the description of the book on Penguin\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>Mia Couto was born in Beira, Mozambique, in 1955. He was previously a journalist and teacher and is currently a biologist and writer.<\/p>\n<p>Winner of the Camo\u0303es Prize in 2013 and the Jose\u0301 Craveirinha Prize in 2022, Mia Couto is the author of, among others, Jesusale\u0301m, The Last Flight of the Flamingo, Voices Made Night, Sleepwalking Land, The Balcony Overlooking the Frangipani, The Confession of the Lioness, as well as several illustrated children\u2019s books.<\/p>\n<p>Translated into more than 30 languages, the writer has also been awarded the Vergi\u0301lio Ferreira Prize (1999), the Latin Union Prize for Romance Literatures (2007) and the Eduardo Lourenc\u0327o Prize (2011).<\/p>\n<p>Carol Bensimon was born in 1982 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. She made her novel debut in 2009 with Sinuca embaixo d\u2019a\u0301gua, which was shortlisted for the Jabuti Prize, which she later won with The Smoke Gardeners\u2019 Club.<\/p>\n<p>Mia Couto, born in 1955 in Beira, Mozambique, is a celebrated author known for his contributions to literature and his exploration of Mozambican identity. His works often reflect the complexities of post-colonial life in Mozambique, blending magical realism with social commentary. Couto&#8217;s recognition in international anthologies underscores the growing appreciation for African literature on the global stage.<\/p>\n<p>The Penguin Book of the International Short Story aims to showcase the richness of short fiction from around the world, featuring voices from various cultures and backgrounds. This anthology not only highlights established authors but also introduces new talents, fostering a greater\u7406\u89e3of<\/p>\n<p class=\"ap-article-footer-note\">Find more news and analyses on <span class=\"ap-highlight-country\">Mozambique<\/span> on the <span class=\"ap-highlight-brand\">Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What You Need to Know Mia Couto, a prominent Mozambican writer, has been included in The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, which features 34 stories from authors worldwide. The anthology highlights diverse voices, including Couto&#8217;s story &#8216;The War of the Clowns&#8217;, translated into English. This collection aims to broaden literary horizons beyond the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":99576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[8728,3718,8413,283,8726,8727],"class_list":["post-99577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-culture-and-art","tag-international-authors","tag-literature","tag-mia-couto","tag-mozambique","tag-penguin-anthology","tag-short-stories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mia Couto Featured in Penguin&#039;s International Short Story - Mozambique<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mia Couto is included in The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, showcasing global literary talent.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mia Couto Featured in Penguin&#039;s International Short Story\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mia Couto is included in The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, showcasing global literary talent.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mozambique\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-14T16:22:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-14T16:54:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/04\/sm_1776185320.219634.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Mia Couto Featured in Penguin&#8217;s International Short Story\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-14T16:22:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-14T16:54:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story\"},\"wordCount\":679,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/04\/sm_1776185320.219634.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"international authors\",\"literature\",\"Mia Couto\",\"Mozambique\",\"Penguin anthology\",\"short stories\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"culture and art\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story\",\"name\":\"Mia Couto Featured in Penguin's International Short Story - Mozambique\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/04\/sm_1776185320.219634.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-14T16:22:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-14T16:54:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Mia Couto is included in The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, showcasing global literary talent.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/04\/sm_1776185320.219634.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/04\/sm_1776185320.219634.jpg\",\"width\":720,\"height\":480,\"caption\":\"Mia Couto Featured in Penguin's International Short Story\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mia Couto Featured in Penguin&#8217;s International Short Story\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/\",\"name\":\"Mozambique\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mia Couto Featured in Penguin's International Short Story - Mozambique","description":"Mia Couto is included in The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, showcasing global literary talent.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mia Couto Featured in Penguin's International Short Story","og_description":"Mia Couto is included in The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, showcasing global literary talent.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story","og_site_name":"Mozambique","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2026-04-14T16:22:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-14T16:54:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":720,"height":480,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/04\/sm_1776185320.219634.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Mia Couto Featured in Penguin&#8217;s International Short Story","datePublished":"2026-04-14T16:22:49+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-14T16:54:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story"},"wordCount":679,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/04\/sm_1776185320.219634.jpg","keywords":["international authors","literature","Mia Couto","Mozambique","Penguin anthology","short stories"],"articleSection":["all news","culture and art"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story","name":"Mia Couto Featured in Penguin's International Short Story - Mozambique","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/04\/sm_1776185320.219634.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-14T16:22:49+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-14T16:54:05+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Mia Couto is included in The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, showcasing global literary talent.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/04\/sm_1776185320.219634.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/04\/sm_1776185320.219634.jpg","width":720,"height":480,"caption":"Mia Couto Featured in Penguin's International Short Story"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/mia-couto-featured-in-penguins-international-short-story#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mia Couto Featured in Penguin&#8217;s International Short Story"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/","name":"Mozambique","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99577"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99602,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99577\/revisions\/99602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}