Pakistani writer Usama Lali’s short story submission Khicheenk! has been selected as one of the 28 shortlisted stories for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2023. The stories on the 2023 shortlist were selected from a total of 6,642 entries in 11 languages from 56 Commonwealth countries.

In Khicheenk! a son recounts the unusual, unfortunate, and tragic circumstances that first brought his parents together, and how generational trauma has continued to shape and haunt him and his Punjabi feudal family over the years growing up.

Usama Lali is a Pakistani writer born and raised in Punjab. He is currently finishing his MFA degree in fiction from the University of Washington, Seattle, where he also teaches undergraduate courses in English academic writing and composition as well as creative writing.

“It is such an honor to have my story read with such care by the esteemed judges and to be appreciated by them through my inclusion in the shortlist – I am shocked and full of so much gratitude to have made it this far and cannot wait to discover all the brilliant stories and voices from across the globe that participated in this prize,” Usama said while speaking to Aaj News.

“My mother married my father because her husband died and my father married my mother because his wife passed away. Shortly after their spouses’ deaths the elders convened in a baradari somewhere in our Punjabi village and decided they’d both be less sad together,” reads an excerpt of Lali’s story Khicheenk!

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually to the best unpublished short fiction from any of the Commonwealth’s 56 Member States.

The writers shortlisted for the 2023 prize come from 19 countries across the Commonwealth, and the entries tackle subjects from illness, human trafficking, and decay, to relationships and hope – as well as family secrets, generation gaps, bittersweet friendships, and making one’s way in the world of work. They span genres from speculative and comic fiction to historical fiction and crime.

Asia 2023 shortlist includes writers from Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan Singapore, and Sri Lanka ranging in age from 26-54. The writers—10 men and 18 women—range in age from 20 to 74.

“This year’s shortlist is a concert of voices from across the Commonwealth, showcasing the richness of its writing traditions, histories, and perspectives. These stories brim with the energy and urgency of the present moment - read them to experience the beat and pulse of contemporary storytelling,” says Pakistani writer and translator Bilal Tanweer, who is chair of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2023 judges.

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize, first awarded in 2012, is administered by the Commonwealth Foundation.

Five other judges are on the panel, each representing the five regions of the Commonwealth. These are Rwandan-born writer, photographer and editor, Rémy Ngamije (Africa), Sri Lankan author and publisher Ameena Hussein (Asia), British-Canadian author Katrina Best (Canada and Europe), Saint Lucian poet and novelist Mac Donald Dixon (Caribbean) and New Zealand’s former Poet Laureate, Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh (Pacific).

The 2023 shortlisted stories will be published in adda, the online magazine of the Commonwealth Foundation which features new writing from around the globe.

The regional winners will be announced on May 17, before being published online by literary magazine Granta.

The overall winner will be announced on June 27.

The prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2000-5000 words). Regional winners receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives £5,000. Short stories translated into English from other languages are also eligible.

Winning or being shortlisted for the prize opens a wealth of opportunities for the selected writers, propelling them further in their writing careers. Both shortlisted and winning writers have gone on to publish novels.