Dinaane Debut Fiction Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (2007) Winner
Kopano Matlwa (Mabaso)
コパノ・マトルワ（マバソ）
Kopano Matlwa Mabaso
Aliases:
Kopano Matlwa Mabaso / Kopano Mabaso
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1985 （Township outside Pretoria, South Africa）
- Nationality
- South African
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Township outside Pretoria (birth) → Cape Town (study/work) → Oxford (study)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Physician, Public health researcher, Activist
- Active Years
- 2004-
- Affiliations
- Grow Great (Zero Stunting campaign), Transitions Foundation, Waiting Room Education by Medical Students (WREM)
- Nominations
- Spilt Milk — Longlisted for the 2011 Sunday Times Fiction Prize, Period Pain — Shortlisted for the 2017 Sunday Times Barry Ronge Fiction Prize, Period Pain — Shortlisted / nominated for the 2017 South African Literary Awards, Period Pain — Nominated for South Africa’s Humanities and Social Sciences awards
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Cape Town | — | Faculty of Health Sciences (Medicine) | — | — | South Africa |
| University of Oxford | — | Global Health Science / Population Health | — | — | United Kingdom |
University of Cape Town
Faculty of Health Sciences (Medicine)
Country:
South Africa
Medical degree obtained (exact year unknown). Wrote debut novel 'Coconut' while at university.
University of Oxford
Global Health Science / Population Health
Country:
United Kingdom
Rhodes Scholar; completed master's and doctoral work in population health.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | European Union Literary Award | Coconut | — | European Union (organisers of the award) | Winner |
| 2010 | Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa | Coconut | — | Wole Soyinka Prize organisers | Joint winner |
| 2014 | Young Physician Leader | — | — | InterAcademies / InterAcademies Media Panel | Selected |
| 2015 | Aspen Idea Award | Ona-Mtoto-Wako (initiative co-founded) | — | Aspen Institute | Winner |
| 2015 | Tutu Fellowship | — | — | Tutu Fellowship | Fellowship |
| 2015 | Aspen New Voices Fellowship | — | — | Aspen Institute | Fellow |
| 2017 | Sunday Times Barry Ronge Fiction Prize (Shortlist) | Period Pain | — | Sunday Times Literary Awards | Shortlisted |
European Union Literary Award
2007
Work:
Coconut
Organization:
European Union (organisers of the award)
Result:
Winner
Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa
2010
Work:
Coconut
Organization:
Wole Soyinka Prize organisers
Result:
Joint winner
Young Physician Leader
2014
Organization:
InterAcademies / InterAcademies Media Panel
Result:
Selected
Aspen Idea Award
2015
Work:
Ona-Mtoto-Wako (initiative co-founded)
Organization:
Aspen Institute
Result:
Winner
Tutu Fellowship
2015
Organization:
Tutu Fellowship
Result:
Fellowship
Aspen New Voices Fellowship
2015
Organization:
Aspen Institute
Result:
Fellow
Sunday Times Barry Ronge Fiction Prize (Shortlist)
2017
Work:
Period Pain
Organization:
Sunday Times Literary Awards
Result:
Shortlisted
Awards & Nominations
Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (2010) Winner
Works
Major Works
Coconut
2007 Fiction (novel)Set in post-apartheid South Africa, the novel explores identity, appearance politics (notably black women's hair), race and class through two narratives: Fifi, a black middle-class woman, and Fiks, a poor black orphan.
IdentityRaceClassColonized consciousnessGender / women's appearance
Spilt Milk
2010 Fiction (novel)Focusing on South Africa's 'Born Free' generation, the novel centers on Mohumagadi, a successful school principal, her students, and a struggling white priest, exploring disappointment with post-apartheid politics and social corruption.
Generation (Born Free)Political disappointmentEducationMorality and corruption
Period Pain (published in the UK as Evening Primrose)
2017 Fiction (novel)A novel addressing xenophobia in South Africa and mental health challenges, following Masechaba as she grows up and confronts societal perceptions and the psychological burdens on both patients and caregivers.
XenophobiaMental healthMigration / OthernessSocial exclusion
Bibliography
- Coconut (Jacana, 2007)
- Spilt Milk (Jacana, 2010)
- Period Pain / Evening Primrose (Jacana / Sceptre, 2017)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- RealismGenerational perspectiveSocially and politically engaged prose
- Recurring Motifs
- Search for identityPolitics of appearance and raceClass dividesYouth disillusionment
Legacy
Kopano Matlwa is an important voice in post-apartheid South African literature, known for novels addressing youth and marginalisation. As a physician and public-health researcher she has also been influential in campaigns on nutrition and child stunting, combining literary and civic impact.
Academic Societies
- Aspen Institute (New Voices)
- Tutu Fellowship
Quotes
-
"Writing was debriefing for myself, trying to make sense of all the crazy things I would see."
Source: NPR – Tell Me More, 2012 (2012)
Trivia
- Debut novel 'Coconut' was written while she was a medical student.
- Rhodes Scholar who completed postgraduate studies at Oxford.
- Co-founded Waiting Room Education by Medical Students (WREM).
- Serves as Executive Director of Grow Great (Zero Stunting campaign).