Commonwealth Short Story Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (2014) Winner
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
ジェニファー・ナンスブガ・マクンビ
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- Kampala, Uganda
- Nationality
- Ugandan, British
- Languages
- English, Luganda
- Residence History
- Kampala, Uganda → Manchester, United Kingdom
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, short story writer, lecturer
- Active Years
- 1998-
- Affiliations
- Lancaster University (lecturer/associate lecturer)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islamic University in Uganda | — | Education (English language & English literature) | B.A. | — | Uganda |
| Manchester Metropolitan University | — | Creative Writing (MA) | MA | 2001〜 | United Kingdom |
| Lancaster University | — | Creative Writing (PhD) | PhD | — | United Kingdom |
Islamic University in Uganda
Education (English language & English literature)
Degree:
B.A.
Country:
Uganda
Edited the university magazine 'The IUIU Mirror'.
Manchester Metropolitan University
Creative Writing (MA)
Degree:
MA
Period:
2001〜
Country:
United Kingdom
Enrolled on an MA in Creative Writing in 2001.
Lancaster University
Creative Writing (PhD)
Degree:
PhD
Country:
United Kingdom
Completed a PhD in Creative Writing (doctoral novel later published).
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Kwani? Manuscript Project | Kintu (originally The Kintu Saga) | — | Kwani Trust | winner |
| 2014 | Commonwealth Short Story Prize | Let's Tell This Story Properly | Regional (Africa) | Commonwealth Writers | Overall winner (and Africa regional winner) |
| 2018 | Windham–Campbell Prize (Fiction) | Kintu and other works | Fiction | Yale University (Windham–Campbell) | winner |
| 2021 | Jhalak Prize | The First Woman (A Girl Is a Body of Water) | Book of the Year | Jhalak Prize | winner |
| 2019 | Prix Transfuge du meilleur premier roman français | Kintu (French translation) | — | Transfuge | winner |
| 2014 | Etisalat Prize for Literature | Kintu | — | Etisalat Prize | longlisted |
Kwani? Manuscript Project
2013
Work:
Kintu (originally The Kintu Saga)
Organization:
Kwani Trust
Result:
winner
Commonwealth Short Story Prize
2014
Work:
Let's Tell This Story Properly
Category:
Regional (Africa)
Organization:
Commonwealth Writers
Result:
Overall winner (and Africa regional winner)
Windham–Campbell Prize (Fiction)
2018
Work:
Kintu and other works
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
Yale University (Windham–Campbell)
Result:
winner
Jhalak Prize
2021
Work:
The First Woman (A Girl Is a Body of Water)
Category:
Book of the Year
Organization:
Jhalak Prize
Result:
winner
Prix Transfuge du meilleur premier roman français
2019
Work:
Kintu (French translation)
Organization:
Transfuge
Result:
winner
Etisalat Prize for Literature
2014
Work:
Kintu
Organization:
Etisalat Prize
Result:
longlisted
Awards & Nominations
The Donald Windham Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prizes
1 appearances
-
Edition 6 (2018) Winner
Works
Major Works
Kintu
2014 NovelTraces the cursed lineage of the Kintu clan across generations, blending oral traditions, folklore, mythology and biblical elements to explore Uganda's history and contemporary society.
family lineageoral traditioncolonialism and modernitymemory and silence
Translations
- French translation and others
The First Woman (published in the US as A Girl Is a Body of Water)
2020 Novel 450 pagesA coming-of-age novel that explores womanhood, intergenerational inheritance, community and healing, praised for its witty and insightful narrative voice.
female coming-of-agefolklore and traditioncommunityhealing
Translations
- Published in the US as 'A Girl Is a Body of Water'
Manchester Happened
2019 Short story collectionA collection of short stories set in Manchester and Uganda, addressing urban life, migration experiences and family narratives.
migration and urban lifefamilyidentity
Let's Tell This Story Properly
2014 Short storyA short story that fuses traditional storytelling forms with contemporary perspectives; winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
storytellingfamilycultural inheritance
Bibliography
- Kintu
- The First Woman (A Girl Is a Body of Water)
- Manchester Happened
- Short story 'Let's Tell This Story Properly'
- Various short stories, poems and plays
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- rooted in Ganda oral traditionsblend of myth, folklore and biblical elementsnarrative voice combining wit and incisive social critique
- Recurring Motifs
- familial silence and memorycurses and lineagewomen's experiences and coming-of-ageintersection of folklore and everyday life
Legacy
Recognized for skillfully incorporating oral traditions into contemporary fiction, she is regarded as a leading figure in contemporary Ugandan literature and has gained international attention through multiple awards and nominations.
Academic Societies
- Lancaster University (affiliate)
Quotes
-
"The West has too much influence on, and control of, our canon. We should wrench the power away from the West and determine our own canon, curated by African publishers and African reviewers."
Source: Interview with C. A. Davids, The Johannesburg Review of Books, 2018 (2018)
Trivia
- Lives in Manchester with her husband Damian and son Jordan.
- Began writing plays at age 15.
- Writes primarily in English but heavily draws on Luganda oral traditions.
- Official website: http://jennifermakumbi.net/