2021 Nobel Prize in literature awarded to British-Zanzibari post-colonial novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah
The Swedish Academy awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday to Abdulrazak Gurnah, a writer who grew up in Zanzibar before arriving in England as a refugee in the late 1960s, "for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents." Anders Olsson, chairman of the Nobel Committee for literature, called Gurnah "one of the world's most prominent post-colonial writers."
Gurnah was born in the British colony of Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania, in 1948, and until his recent retirement he was a professor of English and post-colonial literature at the University of Kent, England. He published the first of his 10 novels, Memory of Departure, in 1987, and his latest, Afterlives, in 2020. His fourth novel, Paradise — which Olsson calls his "breakthrough as a writer" — was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1994. Olsson calls Afterlives, a continuation of Paradise, "magnificent."
Gurnah's work is suffused with "the theme of the refugee's disruption," Olsson writes. "He began writing as a 21-year-old in English exile, and even though Swahili was his first language, English became his literary tool." Gurnah's "novels recoil from stereotypical descriptions and open our gaze to a culturally diversified East Africa unfamiliar to many in other parts of the world," he adds. "In Gurnah's literary universe, everything is shifting — memories, names, identities. This is probably because his project cannot reach completion in any definitive sense. An unending exploration driven by intellectual passion is present in all his books, and equally prominent now, in Afterlives, as when he began writing as a 21-year-old refugee."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Winners of the Nobel literature prize "are famously hard to predict," and Gurnah was not among the favorites for this year, according to British bookmakers, The Associated Press reports. Gurnah will receive a gold Nobel medal and about $1.14 million in prize money.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?
Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 wins
speed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughter
speed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
5 thought-provoking books to read in March
The Week Recommends A classic reimagined, a posthumous release, and more
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
The Beatles are getting 4 intersecting biopics
Speed Read Director Sam Mendes is making four separate movies, each told from the perspective of one band member
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift to Miley Cyrus: female artists dominate 2024 Grammys
Speed Read SZA, Phoebe Bridgers and Lainey Wilson were also among the winners at LA gala
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
5 alluring books to read in February
The Week Recommends Experimental memoirs, a collaboration between literary greats, and more
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published