Ivan Vladislavic and Shaida Kazie Ali Win the 2010/2011 University of Johannesburg Prizes for Creative Writing
Alert! Ivan Vladislavic and Shaida Ali have been announced as the winners of this year’s University of Johannesburg Creative Writing prizes.
Vladislavic wins the main award for his novel, Double Negative, and Ali the debut award for her novel, Not a Fairy Tale. Both are published by Umuzi. They receive R60 000 and R20 000, respectively.
Although the UJ Prize recognises writing from across all genres, Ali’s book was up against two other novels on a somewhat curtailed shortlist of three; Vladislavic’s work, meanwhile, contended against history, short stories and essays. Click here for the full shortlists. Last year’s winners were Imraan Coovadia and Jacob Dlamini.
A formal prize giving ceremony will be held at a function in the winners’ honour, at UJ, in September 2011. Books LIVE has republished Craig Mackenzie’s judge’s statement, which originally appeared in the Mail & Guardian, with his permission below.
It bears pointing out that both authors are also shortlisted for the 2011 Sunday Times Fiction Prize. Could either author emulate the feats of Imraan Coovadia, Ceridwen Dovey or Shaun Johnson, who scored big double wins for High Low In-between, Blood Kin and The Native Commissioner in SA-Lit-award-years past?
Time will tell, time will tell. For now, hearty congratulations to Vladislavic and Ali!
UJ Prize Judge Craig Mackenzie’s Awards Statement
Craig Mackenzie’s 2011 University of Johannesburg Prize Article
Book details
- Double Negative by Ivan Vladislavic
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EAN: 9781415201329
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- Not a Fairy Tale by Shaida Ali
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EAN: 9781415201121
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