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Nadia Davids

ナディア・デイヴィッズ

Nadia Davids

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1977-01-01 （Cape Town, South Africa）
Nationality
South African
Languages
English
Residence History
Cape Town (born and raised) → Los Angeles, California (resident)

Career

Occupations
playwright, novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, academic
Active Years
1995-
Affiliations
Queen Mary University of London (former lecturer), University of Cape Town (associate professor), PEN South Africa (former president)
Memberships
PEN South Africa

Education

University of Cape Town
Faculty of Arts (Drama) / Department of Drama
Degree: PhD
Period: 2004–2008
Year of Graduation: 2008
Country: South Africa
PhD thesis entitled 'Inherited Memories; Performing the Archive'
St Cyprian's School / Zonnebloem Girls School
Secondary education
Period: 1990s
Country: South Africa
Completed primary and secondary education in Cape Town
Mellon Fellowship / UC Berkeley / New York University (visiting)
Period: 2000–2005（Mellon）, 2001（UC Berkeley）, 2004–2005（NYU）
Held a Mellon Fellowship; visiting scholar at UC Berkeley (2001) and NYU (2004–05)

Awards

Philip Leverhulme Prize
2013
Organization: Leverhulme Trust
Result: winner
Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards (multiple categories)
2018
Work: What Remains
Category: Best New South African Play, Best Director, Best Ensemble, Best Actress, Best Lighting Design
Organization: Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards
Result: winner (5 awards)
Rosalie van der Gught Prize (Fleur du Cap)
2004
Work: At Her Feet
Category: Best New Director
Organization: Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards
Result: winner
Olive Schreiner Prize (Drama)
2020
Work: What Remains: A Play in One Act
Category: Drama
Organization: English Academy of Southern Africa
Result: winner
Caine Prize for African Writing
2024
Work: "Bridling"
Category: 短編小説
Organization: Caine Prize
Result: winner
Etisalat Prize for Literature
2014
Work: An Imperfect Blessing
Organization: Etisalat Prize
Result: shortlisted
Noma Award (nominated)
2007
Work: At Her Feet
Organization: Noma Award
Result: nominated

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

At Her Feet

2002 one-woman show / theatre

A one-woman show focused on the identities of Cape Muslim women post-9/11, combining projected photographs, dance and narration to centre community voices.

identityreligion and societypost-9/11
Adaptations
  • [theatre (productions)] At Her Feet / various (2002)

Cissie

2008 play (biographical)

A theatrical imagining of anti-apartheid activist Cissie Gool's life, exploring feminist biography and the historiography of District Six.

history and memoryfeminismDistrict Six memory
Adaptations
  • [theatre] Cissie / various (2008)

An Imperfect Blessing

2014 novel

Davids' debut novel, exploring tensions between individuals, history and community, addressing complexities of South African society.

familyburden of historycommunity

What Remains

2017 play (theatre)

A play about slavery at the Cape, haunted cities, archives and madness—interrogating history, memory, magic, protests and the present.

slaverymemory and archivesghosts/hauntings
Adaptations
  • [theatre (main festival / theatre runs)] What Remains / Jay Pather (2017)

Hold Still

2022 play (theatre)

A provocative drama about migrancy and a family haunted by the ghosts of the past, tackling contemporary issues of movement and memory.

migrancyfamilyghosts of the past

Bridling

2023 short story

A short story about women who rebel, notable for its linguistic skill and storytelling risk-taking; winner of the Caine Prize.

women's rebellionfreedomrisk-taking in storytelling
Translations

Bibliography

  • At Her Feet (theatre, 2002)
  • Cissie (play, 2008)
  • An Imperfect Blessing (novel, 2014)
  • What Remains (play, 2017)
  • Hold Still (play, 2022)
  • Short story 'Bridling' (published in The Georgia Review, 2023)

Adaptations

  • At Her Feet (international productions: South Africa, Europe, USA)
  • What Remains (staged at Grahamstown National Arts Festival and in Cape Town)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
situating political landscapes within intimate relationshipslyrical and precise languagetheatrical application of archives and memory theory
Recurring Motifs
memory and archivesghosts/hauntingsDistrict Six memorylives of Cape Muslim womentraces of slavery

Legacy

Nadia Davids is recognised for plays, short fiction and a novel that centre South African history and memory, particularly District Six and Cape Muslim women's experiences. Her theatrical work is studied academically and performed internationally. She served as president of PEN South Africa and is known for connecting literature with social justice.

Academic Societies

  • University of Cape Town (research and teaching affiliation)

Archives

  • University of Cape Town archives

In Popular Culture

  • Founder/initiator of PEN South Africa podcast 'The Empty Chair'

Quotes

  • "A triumph of language, storytelling and risk-taking, while maintaining a tightly controlled narrative about women who rebel."
    Source: Chair of Caine Prize judging panel (award announcement) (2024)

Trivia

  • Served as president of PEN South Africa from 2017 until July 2024.
  • Initiated the PEN South Africa podcast 'The Empty Chair' in 2020.
  • Won the 2024 Caine Prize for the short story 'Bridling'.
  • Currently lives in Los Angeles.