M-Net Literary Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 11 (2001) Winner
Zoë Wicomb
ゾーエ・ウィコンブ
Zoe Wicomb
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1948-11-23 （Beeswater, Western Cape, South Africa）
- Died
- 2025-10-13 （Glasgow, Scotland） age 76
- Nationality
- South African
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Beeswater (Namaqualand) → Cape Town (schooling) → England (study/residence) → Nottingham (residence) → Glasgow (residence/work, final residence) → South Africa (returned in 1990 for teaching)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Academic, Professor
- Active Years
- 1970-2025
- Affiliations
- University of Strathclyde (Professor of English Studies, Emeritus), Stellenbosch University (Professor Extraordinaire 2005–2011), University of the Western Cape (teaching post; honorary degree awarding institution)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of the Western Cape | — | — | — | — | South Africa |
| University of Reading | — | — | — | — | United Kingdom |
University of the Western Cape
Country:
South Africa
Attended during apartheid-era segregated university system
University of Reading
Country:
United Kingdom
Graduation year not specified in sources
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | M-Net Prize | David's Story | — | M-Net | 受賞 |
| 2013 | Windham–Campbell Literature Prize (Fiction) | Body of work (fiction) | フィクション | Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (Yale University) | 受賞 |
| 2010 | Honorary doctorate (The Open University) | — | — | The Open University | 授与 |
| 2016 | Honorary doctorate (University of Cape Town) | — | — | University of Cape Town | 授与 |
| 2022 | Honorary doctorate (University of the Western Cape) | — | — | University of the Western Cape | 授与 |
| 2009 | Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Shortlist) | The One That Got Away | — | Commonwealth Writers | 候補（ショートリスト） |
| 2012 | Neustadt International Prize for Literature (Nomination) | — | — | Neustadt Prize | ノミネート |
| 2015 | Barry Ronge Fiction Prize (Shortlist) | October | — | Barry Ronge Prize (South Africa) | 候補（ショートリスト） |
M-Net Prize
2001
Work:
David's Story
Organization:
M-Net
Result:
受賞
Windham–Campbell Literature Prize (Fiction)
2013
Work:
Body of work (fiction)
Category:
フィクション
Organization:
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (Yale University)
Result:
受賞
Honorary doctorate (The Open University)
2010
Organization:
The Open University
Result:
授与
Honorary doctorate (University of Cape Town)
2016
Organization:
University of Cape Town
Result:
授与
Honorary doctorate (University of the Western Cape)
2022
Organization:
University of the Western Cape
Result:
授与
Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Shortlist)
2009
Work:
The One That Got Away
Organization:
Commonwealth Writers
Result:
候補（ショートリスト）
Neustadt International Prize for Literature (Nomination)
2012
Organization:
Neustadt Prize
Result:
ノミネート
Barry Ronge Fiction Prize (Shortlist)
2015
Work:
October
Organization:
Barry Ronge Prize (South Africa)
Result:
候補（ショートリスト）
Awards & Nominations
The Donald Windham Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prizes
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (2013) Winner
Works
Major Works
You Can't Get Lost in Cape Town
1987 Short story collection (linked stories)A linked short-story collection set in apartheid-era South Africa following a young English-speaking woman from a coloured community as she negotiates home and identity; partly autobiographical.
IdentityHomeRaceMigration
David's Story
2000 NovelSet partly in 1991, the novel uses the device of an amanuensis assembling David Dirkse's fragmented testimony to explore the writing of history, the role of coloured people and women in the anti-apartheid movement, and ethnic identity.
Memory and historyEthnicityPolitical transition
Playing in the Light
2006 NovelSet in mid-1990s Cape Town, the novel tells of Marion Campbell, daughter of a couple who passed as white, as she uncovers their painful past and reassesses her place in post-apartheid South Africa.
PassingFamily historyConstructed race
The One That Got Away
2008 Short story collectionA collection of linked short stories set mainly in Cape Town and Glasgow, exploring marriage, friendships, family ties and relations with domestic workers.
Human relationshipsMigration and returnCross-cultural exchange
October
2014 NovelMercia Murray returns from Glasgow to Namaqualand to visit family and confront what 'home' means; the novel explicitly evokes links with Marilynne Robinson's Home.
HomeFamilyReturn
Still Life
2020 Historical novel (postcolonial elements)An experimental historical novel that revisits the past through figures connected to Thomas Pringle, blending historical fact with fictional characters and featuring paranormal elements to interrogate history.
Accountability of historyMemoryColonialism
Bibliography
- You Can't Get Lost in Cape Town (1987)
- David's Story (2000)
- Playing in the Light (2006)
- The One That Got Away (2008)
- October (2014)
- Still Life (2020)
- Race, Nation, Translation: South African essays, 1990–2013 (2018)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Subtle, restrained narrationFragmentary and polyphonic perspectivesCareful, precise diction
- Recurring Motifs
- Questions of home and belongingBoundaries of race and classMigration and diasporic life
Health
-
Pulmonary embolism2025年10月（致命的）Died in October 2025 in hospital from a pulmonary embolism
Legacy
Recognized internationally for a translocal perspective linking South Africa and Scotland, Wicomb's work excavated memory and identity in the post-apartheid era. As an educator and award-winning author with multiple honorary doctorates, she left a significant influence on literary studies and creative writing.
Quotes
-
“seductive, brilliant and precious”
Source: Comment by Toni Morrison (cited 2000) (2000) -
“Zoë Wicomb's subtle, lively language and beautifully crafted narratives explore the complex entanglements of home, and the continuing challenges of being in the world.”
Source: Citation from Windham–Campbell Literature Prize (at award) (2013)
Trivia
- Chaired the judges' panel for the Caine Prize in 2015.
- Preferred nonprofit presses for fiction (e.g. The Feminist Press, The New Press).
- Still Life (2020) was selected by The New York Times as one of the ten best historical novels of 2020.