The Conseil des arts de Montréal and Metropolis Bleu are proud to announce the winner of the eighth New Contribution Literary Award: Baharan Baniahmadi for her novel Prophetess published by Véhicule Press.
A collaboration between the Conseil des arts de Montréal and Metropolis Bleu, this award celebrates new literary voices from immigrant communities in Montréal. It recognizes work from Montréal writers of allophone or first- and second-generation immigrant backgrounds. The award carries a $5,000 grant from the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
Prophetess is a courageous and subtle rendering of feminine reality. Baniahmadi recounts with great sensitivity the traumas of a seven-year-old girl in the context of Iran’s religious state, revealing the complexity of human experience. The jury described the work as a compelling, ambitious and nuanced novel that draws its strength from its imagination and narrative construction.
About the author
Originally from Iran, Baharan Baniahmadi now lives in Montréal. An actor, she studied theatre at the Art University of Tehran, and has worked with several directors overseas. She has also published a play and a memoir in Iran. Written in English, Prophetess is her first novel.
