September 2, 2010 Abraham Verghese’s novel, Cutting For Stone, is one of six finalists for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction. The prize carries a $10,000 honorarium and is the “only annual literary award recognizing the power of the written word to promote peace,” according to a website about the awards. Verghese, born in Ethiopia to Indian parents, is a former resident of Johnson City, where he completed his medical residency after fleeing Ethiopia when Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed, and where he returned to teach medicine after a second residency at Boston University. To read Chapter 16‘s interview with Verghese, click here.
Last year, Memphis novelist Richard Bausch won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction. This year, Chapter 16 is putting all its chips on Verghese– and a clean Tennessee sweep.
For more updates on Tennessee authors, please visit Chapter 16‘s News & Notes page, here.
