Since the inception of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901, only four African writers have been awarded the renowned prize. We have compiled a list of this four literary giants, who have made a representation of our beloved continent possible, and a brief rundown on some of their most famous works.
- Wole Soyinka – Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka born in 1934, is a Nigerian playwright, poet and novelist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1986, the first African to have been awarded the prize since its inception in 1901. Notable among his works are; The Lion and The Jewel (first performed in 1959, it is a tale of changing times, that revolves around three major characters; Baroka, Sidi and Lakunle), The Trials of Brother Jero, A Dance of the Forest, Madmen and Specialists, The Interpreter, Season of Anomy, The Man Died: Prison Notes, Ake: The Years of Childhood, You Must Set Forth at Dawn. The list is endless. Wole Soyinka is an activist and a strong critic of the Nigerian government till date.
- Naguib Mahfouz – Born in 1911, was an Egyptian writer who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1988. He published over 30 novels in his lifetime, over 350 short stories and movie scripts. That’s quite a fit, for a career spanning across seven decades. Notable among his works are; Whisper of Madness, Mockery of Fate, The Struggle of Thebes, The Mirage, The Beginning and the End, God’s World, The Seventh Heaven, The Day the Leader Was Killed, among others. Most of his works deal mainly with politics, and the lives of ordinary Egyptians. Mahfouz died in 2006, at the age of 94.
- Nadine Gordimer – Awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1991, Nadine Gordimer was a South African writer and political activist of great repute. Her writings dealt with issues bordering on morals and apartheid in South Africa. Some of her works were so critical of the then apartheid system in South Africa, that it led to a ban of some of her works such as “July’s People,” and “Burger’s Daughter.” Notable amongst her works are; The Lying Days (1953- her debut novel), Occasion for Loving (1963), The Conservationist (1974-Man Booker Prize Winner), Burger’s Daughter (1979), July’s People (1981), The House Gun (1998), The Pickup (2002), Get a Life (2005), amongst others. She died on 13th July, 2014.
- J.M. Coetzee – South African novelist, essayist and linguist, born in 1940, James Maxwell Coetzee was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 2003. He won the Booker Prize in 1983 and 1999. Notable among his works are; Dusklands (1974-his debut novel), Life and Times of Michael K (1983), Disgrace (1999), Elizabeth Costello (2003), Slow Man (2005), Summertime (2009), The School Days of Jesus (2013), The Childhood of Jesus (2016 long listed for the Man Booker Prize), among others. He relocated to Australia in 2002 and lives in Adelaide. He became an Australian citizen in 2006.
