Girma T. Fantaye
Girma T. Fantaye is an Ethiopian author and journalist, born in Addis Ababa. His books in Amharic include ሰልፍ ሜዳ (Psalms of Aftermath), translated by Hewan Semeon and published by Fidessa Literary Agency; የጠፋችውን ከተማ ፍለጋ (The Quest for the Lost City), a collection of poetry; and የንጋት መንገደኞች (Travelers of Dawn), published by Emkulu Publishing. His forthcoming novel, የአዲስ አበባ ርግቦች አጭር ታሪክ (The Brief History of Pigeons of Addis Ababa, working title), is scheduled for 2027.
His short story “Of the Poet and the Cafe” appears in Addis Ababa Noir, published by Akashic Books and edited by Maaza Mengiste.
Girma began his writing career contributing short stories and reporting on arts and culture for the Amharic weekly Meznagna. Following the political upheaval surrounding Ethiopia’s 2005 elections, he turned increasingly to investigative journalism and political commentary. He later co-founded Addis Neger Newspaper, where he served as Deputy Editor-in-Chief.
In 2011–2012, Girma was a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University. His literary work and essays have also taken him to international writing residencies, including an ICORN Guest Writer residency in Ljubljana and a Writer-in-Residence position at the University of Hildesheim.
Today, Girma writes novels, essays, and scripts for short films and documentaries. After nine years in exile, he now lives and writes in Addis Ababa.
