Mda and Marinovich win our literary awards
Authors Zakes Mda and Greg Marinovich were named the winners of this year’s Sunday Times Literary Awards, in association with Porcupine Ridge, at a gala ceremony at The Empire in Johannesburg.
The awards celebrate the best of South African nonfiction and fiction from the previous year. Each winner receives R100 000.
“The Sunday Times has always honoured fine writing, and our Literary Awards are the climax of that. This year we received a record number of entries — an encouraging sign that our publishing and writing is in good health,” said Sunday Times editor Bongani Siqoko.
Marinovich, an award-winning journalist and photographer, received the 28th Alan Paton Award for his book Murder at Small Koppie: The Real Story of the Marikana Massacre (Penguin Books). The judges called it “one of the most important books this year. So far, the most definitive account of the Marikana massacre.”
“I’m so thrilled. It’s so very exciting. The book needs to be written and I’m so glad it’s being taken seriously,” said Marinovich.
Acclaimed fiction writer Mda was awarded the 17th Barry Ronge Fiction Prize for Little
Suns (Umuzi), which the judges called “a novel of rich, magical African imagery”.
“I feel great, but I feel like someone else like Yewande Omotoso could have taken the prize. I am honoured and grateful,” said Mda.
Mda, who won the first Sunday Times fiction prize in 2001 for his novel The Heart of
Redness, was also the keynote speaker. He delivered a strong statement on the strength of fiction as truth-telling in an age of “truthiness and alternative facts”. (See page 26 for Mda’s speech.)