Celebrating Africas Nobel Prize Winners

http://www.africabookclub.com/?p=515

January 22, 2012 Home About Africa Book Club Book Store Discussion Forum Africa Book Club Africa's best books and more...

You are here: Home / Spotlight / Celebrating Africas Nobel Prize Winners

Celebrating Africas Nobel Prize Winners

October 5, 2010 By Daniel Musiitwa Leave a Comment
Share

StumbleUpon

Soyinka, Gordimer and Coetzee This week, the winners of the 2010 Nobel Prize in various fields are being announced. Winners will walk away with a medal, personal diploma, and a cash award of approximately $1.5 million each. The awards founded by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor and entrepreneur honor men and women from all corners of the globe for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and for work in peace. Over the years, Africa has had its fair share of award recipients, notably Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk who were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 2003. Former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan won the prize in 2001, while Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai received the award in 2004. Other prominent Africans who have won this prestigious award include Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1984) and Albert Sisulu (1960). But for book lovers around the world, the prize to watch is the Nobel Prize for Literature, which is due to be announced on Thursday, October 7, 2010. Algerian writer Assia Djebar and Kenyan Ngugi wa Thiongo are rumoured to be among the nominees for what is one of the richest prizes in the literary field. Whatever the outcome, this is a great opportunity to salute Africas past winners of the Award. In all, Africa has had four recipients of the Nobel Literature Prize. Wole Soyinka

1 sur 6

22/01/2012 18:10

Celebrating Africas Nobel Prize Winners

http://www.africabookclub.com/?p=515

Born in 1934, Nigerian playwright and political activist Wole Soyinka received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, thus becoming the first African to ever win this prestigious prize. He was recognized for applying a wide cultural perspective and poetic overtones to fashions the drama of existence Naguib Mahfouz Mahfouz, who died in 2006 was an Egyptian writer, awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature for works rich in nuance now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous that have formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind. He is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers of Arabic literature. Over a career that span 70 years, he published more than 50 novels, over 350 short stories, dozens of movie scripts, and five plays. Many of his works have been made into Egyptian and foreign films. Nadine Gordimer Nadine Gordimer was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991 in recognition of her epic writing, which in the words of Alfred Nobel, has been of very great benefit to humanity Born in 1923 in Springs, South Africa, Gordimer has lived all her life in South Africa. John Maxwell Coetzee Coetzee, another South African is the most recent African winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature having received the prize in 2003. He was recognized as a writer who in innumerable guises portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider. As we mark another year of the Nobels, we would like to salute these great Africans for championing the voice of African literature on the global stage. __________________________________ Have you enjoyed reading a book by one of Africas prize winning writers? Why not share a review on www.africabookclub.com. Send your review to the Africa Book Club at reviews@africabookclub.com 2011 Editors Note: Two other Africans received the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded jointly to three women Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakul Karman of Yemen. They were recognised for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for womens rights to full participation in peace-building work.

Comments

2 sur 6

22/01/2012 18:10

Celebrating Africas Nobel Prize Winners

http://www.africabookclub.com/?p=515

Powered by Facebook Comments Filed Under: Spotlight Tagged With: African Writing, Assia Djebar, J.M. Coetzee, Nadine Gordimer, Nobel Prize, Nobel Prize for Literature 2010, Wole Soyinka

About Daniel Musiitwa Daniel Musiitwa has lived and worked in numerous African countries. An avid reader, he maintains a keen interest in Africa, and started the Africa Book Club blog as a space to promote interest in African writing.

Speak Your Mind

Name * Email * Website

Post Comment

3 sur 6

22/01/2012 18:10

Celebrating Africas Nobel Prize Winners

http://www.africabookclub.com/?p=515

Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. ADVERTISEMENTS

Join the Africa Book Club First Name: Last Name: Email:
Signup

QUICK POLL

4 sur 6

22/01/2012 18:10

Celebrating Africas Nobel Prize Winners

http://www.africabookclub.com/?p=515

Who is your favourite African author?

Wole Soyinka Chinua Achebe Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Alain Mabanckou Aminatta Forna Ngugi wa Thiong'o Dambisa Moyo Other:

Vote
View Results Share This

FROM OUR PARTNERS

Join Us on Facebook

5 sur 6

22/01/2012 18:10

Celebrating Africas Nobel Prize Winners

http://www.africabookclub.com/?p=515

Connect With Africa Book Club Join Africa Book Club today Become an Africa Book Club Fan Connect with Africa Book Club RSS feed Follow Africa Book Club on Twitter Member Services Contact Africa Book Club To contact Africa Book Club or send us review copies, please send an email to: info@africabookclub.com Return to top of page Copyright 2012 AFRICA BOOK CLUB follow: Join Africa Book Club Like Us on Facebook Connect with me RSS Tweet with me

6 sur 6

22/01/2012 18:10