[Weltevreden SA (Dana)]

With all due regard for the folks on the BOSS team, the objects of their diligence, supernovae, have achieved centerfold status in the 2013 'Bad S*x Writing Awards'. The worst metaphor used this year in the literary pursuit of awful prose about a basically good thing, was penned by Manil Suri, a University of Maryland math prof. He dabbles (and probably makes more money) in fiction. He dreamed up this dazzler in his novel 'City of Devi' published by Bloomsbury in the UK:

'Surely supernovas explode that instant, somewhere, in some galaxy. The hut vanishes, and with it the sea and the sands—only Karun [slightly racy passage omitted here], remains. We streak like superheroes past suns and solar systems, we dive through shoals of quarks and atomic nuclei. In celebration, statisticians the world over rejoice.'

The award was presented by Joan Collins. (Source: Mail & Guardian, 6 Dec.)

BOSS, over to you . . .

=Dana in SA