Caine Prize for African Writing
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (2011) Winner
NoViolet Bulawayo
ノー・バイオレット・ブラワヨ
NoViolet Bulawayo
Aliases:
Elizabeth Zandile Tshele / Elizabeth Tshele
Pen Names:
NoViolet Bulawayo（Pen name used as an author; derived from her late mother's name and the city Bulawayo）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1981-10-12 （Tsholotsho, Zimbabwe）
- Nationality
- Zimbabwean
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Zimbabwe (born and childhood) → United States (studies and residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Short story writer
- Active Years
- 2009-
- Affiliations
- Writivism (board of trustees, 2014–2018), Stegner Fellowship (Stanford University, 2012–2014)
- Memberships
- Writivism (served on board of trustees)
- Influenced By
- George Orwell, Herta Müller, Elif Shafak, Yvonne Vera
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Njube High School | — | — | — | — | Zimbabwe |
| Mzilikazi High School | — | — | — | — | Zimbabwe |
| Kalamazoo Valley Community College | — | — | — | — | United States |
| Texas A&M University-Commerce | — | English | BA | — | United States |
| Southern Methodist University | — | English | MA | — | United States |
| Cornell University | — | Creative Writing (MFA) | MFA | 〜2010 | United States |
Njube High School
Country:
Zimbabwe
Secondary education (proceeded to A-level studies)
Mzilikazi High School
Country:
Zimbabwe
High school for A-levels
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Country:
United States
Attended community college in the U.S.
Texas A&M University-Commerce
English
Degree:
BA
Country:
United States
Earned a bachelor's degree in English
Southern Methodist University
English
Degree:
MA
Country:
United States
Earned a master's degree in English
Cornell University
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Period:
〜2010
Year of Graduation:
2010
Country:
United States
Attended as a Truman Capote Fellowship recipient
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Truman Capote Fellowship | — | — | Truman Capote Literary Trust | 受賞 |
| 2011 | Caine Prize for African Writing | Hitting Budapest | — | Caine Prize | 受賞 |
| 2012 | Stegner Fellowship | — | Fellow (2012–2014) | Stanford University (Wallace Stegner Fellowship) | 受賞 |
| 2013 | Man Booker Prize | We Need New Names | — | The Booker Prizes | ショートリスト |
| 2013 | National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 | — | — | National Book Foundation | 選出（honoree） |
| 2013 | Etisalat Prize for Literature | We Need New Names | — | Etisalat Prize | 受賞 |
| 2013 | Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Art Seidenbaum Award) | We Need New Names | First Fiction | Los Angeles Times | 受賞 |
| 2014 | PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel | We Need New Names | — | PEN/Hemingway Award | 受賞 |
| 2014 | Betty Trask Award | We Need New Names | — | The Society of Authors | 受賞 |
| 2022 | Booker Prize | Glory | — | The Booker Prizes | ショートリスト |
| 2023 | Women's Prize for Fiction | Glory | — | Women's Prize | ロングリスト |
| 2025 | Best of Caine | Hitting Budapest | — | Caine Prize | 受賞（名誉賞） |
Truman Capote Fellowship
2010
Organization:
Truman Capote Literary Trust
Result:
受賞
Caine Prize for African Writing
2011
Work:
Hitting Budapest
Organization:
Caine Prize
Result:
受賞
Stegner Fellowship
2012
Category:
Fellow (2012–2014)
Organization:
Stanford University (Wallace Stegner Fellowship)
Result:
受賞
Man Booker Prize
2013
Work:
We Need New Names
Organization:
The Booker Prizes
Result:
ショートリスト
National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35
2013
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
選出（honoree）
Etisalat Prize for Literature
2013
Work:
We Need New Names
Organization:
Etisalat Prize
Result:
受賞
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Art Seidenbaum Award)
2013
Work:
We Need New Names
Category:
First Fiction
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
受賞
PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
2014
Work:
We Need New Names
Organization:
PEN/Hemingway Award
Result:
受賞
Betty Trask Award
2014
Work:
We Need New Names
Organization:
The Society of Authors
Result:
受賞
Booker Prize
2022
Work:
Glory
Organization:
The Booker Prizes
Result:
ショートリスト
Women's Prize for Fiction
2023
Work:
Glory
Organization:
Women's Prize
Result:
ロングリスト
Best of Caine
2025
Work:
Hitting Budapest
Organization:
Caine Prize
Result:
受賞（名誉賞）
Awards & Nominations
-
Edition 1 (2013) Winner
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 34 (2013) Winner
PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
1 appearances
-
Edition 39 (2014) Winner
Betty Trask Prize and Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 31 (2014) Winner
Works
Major Works
We Need New Names
2013 Novel (debut)Follows Darling, a girl from a Zimbabwean shantytown, and her friends as they confront poverty, displacement and migration. The novel traces their lives from home to the United States, blending wit and urgency to depict childhood and exile.
MigrationChildhoodContemporary Zimbabwean societyIdentity
Glory
2022 Novel (allegory, political satire)An allegorical novel inspired by George Orwell's Animal Farm, set in a nation on the brink of revolution. It combines satire, fable and political observation to explore power, repression and grassroots activism.
Power and repressionRevolutionAllegory and satireHope and despair
Bibliography
- Snapshots (2009, published in New Writing from Africa 2009)
- Hitting Budapest (short story, 2010, Boston Review)
- We Need New Names (2013)
- Glory (2022)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Allegorical and satiricalConcise, forceful proseNarration often through child's perspective
- Recurring Motifs
- Childhood and coming-of-ageMigration/exilePower and repressionCoexistence of humor and sorrow
Legacy
NoViolet Bulawayo gained international recognition with her debut and has become an important voice in contemporary postcolonial literature. She was the first Black African woman to appear on the Booker shortlist twice and is regarded as a leading contemporary Zimbabwean writer.
Quotes
-
I believe freedom begins with imagination.
Source: The New York Times (interview, 2022) (2022)
Trivia
- Her pen name is derived from an Ndebele word, her late mother's name, and the city Bulawayo.
- "Hitting Budapest" won the Caine Prize in 2011 and later became an opening chapter in her debut novel.
- She was the first Black African woman to appear on the Booker shortlist twice (2013, 2022).