‘It’s an absolute honour!’ – Zimbabwean writer wins 2024 Island Prize

By thebritishblacklist.co.uk

Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Steyn Kundizeza has clinched this year’s edition of the annual Island Prize.

Kundizeza won the prize for his novel Freelance, edging Ghana’s Ruby Excel and Zambia’s Mali Kambandu, whose respective books Lyrics to the Colour Red and When The Shadows Call made up the Top Three.

“It’s an absolute honour to have my debut novel recognized and celebrated in such a prestigious manner. From the depths of my heart, I want to express my sincere thanks to every one of you who believed in me and my work,” Kundizeza said, reacting to the win.

Kundizeza is a Harare-based writer whose previous publishing credits include short stories in the 2018 Africa Book Club Short Story Competition anthology and Transition Magazine Issue 131.

His book Freelance,  a thriller novel set in Zimbabwe, is a story about the human cost of corruption and unchecked power, and the struggle for justice in a complex political landscape.

The Island Prize for a Debut Novel from Africa was set up in honour of South African author Karen Jennings’ Booker-longlisted novel An Island,

It is administered by Jennings in partnership with her publishers Holland House Books (UK) and Karavan Press (South Africa).

It aims to give writers from Africa (or the diaspora) a chance to showcase their work to a wider audience, with the possibility of feedback, mentoring, meeting with a potential agent, and publication (both in the UK and South Africa).

Previous winners include Reem Gaafar (for her novel A Mouth Full of Salt) and Sarah Isaacs (for her novel Glass Tower).

The panel of judges for this year’s edition of the prize comprised Karen Jennings, Reem Gaafar, Sana Goyal, Hilda J. Twongyeirwe, Hamza Koudri, and Obinna Udenwe.

According to Jennings, this year’s competition was especially tough:

“Over 140 unpublished novels were entered, from all parts of the African continent, comprising a wide range of subjects, genres, and styles; the sheer diversity in all aspects has been exciting and heartening to see,” she said.