Costa Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 51 (2021) Winner
Caleb Azumah Nelson
ケイレブ・アズマ・ネルソン
Keirebu Azuma Neruson
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1993 （London）
- Nationality
- British, Ghanaian
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- South East London (Bellingham) → South East London
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Photographer
- Active Years
- 2021-
- Influenced By
- Zadie Smith, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Kendrick Lamar, Barry Jenkins
- Nominations
- BBC National Short Story Award shortlisted (2020, Pray), Orwell Prize for Political Fiction shortlisted (2023, Small Worlds)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alleyn's School | — | — | — | — | United Kingdom |
| Coventry University | — | Sports Science | Bachelor's degree in sports science | — | United Kingdom |
Alleyn's School
Country:
United Kingdom
Attended on scholarship, one of only four black kids in the year
Coventry University
Sports Science
Degree:
Bachelor's degree in sports science
Country:
United Kingdom
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Costa Book Award | Open Water | First Novel | Costa Book Awards | Won |
| 2022 | Betty Trask Award | Open Water | — | Society of Authors | Won |
| 2022 | Somerset Maugham Award | Open Water | — | Society of Authors | Won |
| 2024 | Dylan Thomas Prize | Small Worlds | — | — | Won |
Costa Book Award
2021
Work:
Open Water
Category:
First Novel
Organization:
Costa Book Awards
Result:
Won
Betty Trask Award
2022
Work:
Open Water
Organization:
Society of Authors
Result:
Won
Somerset Maugham Award
2022
Work:
Open Water
Organization:
Society of Authors
Result:
Won
Dylan Thomas Prize
2024
Work:
Small Worlds
Result:
Won
Awards & Nominations
Betty Trask Prize and Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 39 (2022) Winner
Somerset Maugham Award
1 appearances
Works
Major Works
Open Water
2021 NovelA debut novel exploring love, violence, and identity through a young Black man in South East London.
loveviolenceidentityBlackness
Small Worlds
2023 NovelA poetic novel about identity, grief, and jazz, meditating on the migrant experience.
identitygriefjazzmigration
Adaptations
- [Television] Small Worlds (adaptation)
Bibliography
- Open Water (2021)
- Small Worlds (2023)
- A Little Unsteadily into Light (2022)
Adaptations
- Small Worlds TV adaptation (Block Media)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- poeticfragmentedlyrical
- Recurring Motifs
- Blacknesslove and lossmusicdance
Health
-
Right shoulder dislocation10代Premature end to basketball career, turned to writing
Legacy
Rising star of contemporary British literature, acclaimed for poetic depictions of Black experiences.
Quotes
-
Writing and photography go hand in hand.
Source: Interview (2021) -
When confronted by the blank page he is confronting himself.
Source: Guernica (2021)
Trivia
- Played violin for 10 years
- Talented teenage basketball player whose career ended due to shoulder injury
- Quit Apple Store job to write full-time
- Won Palm* Photo People's Choice prize (2019)