José Eduardo Agualusa, has been awarded the 2019 Angolan National Prize for Culture and Arts.
The Angolan National Prize for Culture and Arts, is the country’s most significant literary prize, which honours great artistic works in the areas of, cinema, literature, music, theatre and visual arts.
José Eduardo Agualusa, was announced as the winner in the category of literature in Luanda, the capital of Angola, for his contribution in projecting Angolan literature to the world.
José Eduardo Agualusa is an Angolan journalist and writer of Portuguese descent, resident in Mozambique. He is the author of, “A Society of Reluctant Dreamers,” “My Father’s Wives,” “The Book of Chameleons,” “A General Theory of Oblivion,” amongst others. “A General Theory of Oblivion,” translated in 2015, was shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker International Prize and was recipient of the 2017 International Dublin Literary Award.
The jury calls Agualusa’s career “extensive and vital”: according to the jury-members, Agualusa “approaches the fundamental social and political issues of this time in a reflective and controversial way. Hence, his work has contributed both to the emancipation of his readers as well as the strengthening of citizenship and freedom of expression”.
Many congratulations to Agualusa!