Bernardine Evaristo Honored with Women’s Prize for Outstanding Contribution
LONDON (AP) – Renowned novelist Bernardine Evaristo has been awarded the prestigious 100,000-pound ($135,000) Women’s Prize Outstanding Contribution Award, recognizing her transformative impact on literature and her unwavering commitment to uplifting under-represented voices.
Evaristo, whose eclectic body of work includes poetry, memoirs, and seven novels, shot to fame with her Booker Prize-winning novel "Girl, Woman, Other," which explores the lives of a dozen characters—mostly Black women—through a polyphonic narrative that defies genre boundaries. Celebrated for its unique "fusion fiction" style, the book has sold over a million copies and earned accolades, including being named one of Barack Obama’s books of the year.
"I just go wherever my imagination takes me," said Evaristo, 66, emphasizing her refusal to be confined by conventional literary rules. Her rich storytelling often reflects her own heritage as the child of a Nigerian father and a white British mother.
The Women’s Prize founder, Kate Mosse, praised Evaristo’s "dazzling skill" and her courage in navigating diverse worlds throughout her four-decade career. Evaristo plans to use her prize money to support emerging female writers, continuing her mission to level the playing field for under-represented voices in literature.
Evaristo’s commitment to inclusivity is exemplified by her mentoring program for poets of color, which has significantly increased representation in British publishing. While she acknowledges the progress made since her childhood years, she warns against complacency, urging vigilance to maintain advances in diversity and anti-racism in literature.
As the first person of color to lead the Royal Society of Literature, Evaristo advocates for creative expression and equality—values she strives to uphold in an ever-evolving cultural landscape.
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