‘Singular, captivating’ books win awards
● Authors Terry Kurgan and Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu were announced winners of this year’s Sunday Times Literary Awards at a ceremony on Friday evening at the Hill on Empire conference and events venue in Parktown, Johannesburg.
“This was a very special and significant year for the Sunday Times Literary Awards. It marked the 30th anniversary of the coveted Alan Paton Award,” said Sunday Times books editor Jennifer Platt.
“Once again both winners showcase the best in South African writing, and the prizes continue to signify the dedication that the Sunday Times has to our local literature.”
Kurgan, an artist and writer based in Johannesburg, works across a broad range of media, from drawing, writing, printmaking and photography to enlisting public participation in her production processes.
Her memoir, Everyone is Present: Essays on Photography, Family and Memory (Fourthwall Books), reflects both her skills and talent.
The Alan Paton Award judges called it “a compassionate, mesmerising tale of a time and place and the singular journey of remarkable people”.
The panel comprised filmmaker Sylvia Vollenhoven — the chair — journalist Paddi Clay and Professor Tinyiko Maluleke.
Kurgan said she was surprised and humbled at winning. “I’m feeling so excited to be acknowledged. I come out of an academic and fine arts background and this is the first time I have written a narrative piece, and it’s such an honour and it makes me so happy to get this award.”
Ndlovu, who was born in Zimbabwe, was awarded the Barry Ronge Fiction Prize for her debut novel, The Theory of Flight (Penguin Fiction).
The story, set in an unnamed Southern African country, interweaves the real and the magical, beauty and devastation, simplicity and complexity.
“I feel like a dream has finally come true, just writing was a dream in itself but when something like this does happen it’s sort of an out-of-body experience,” Ndlovu said.
“It’s such an honour and such a privilege. It’s hard to put into words, and as a writer that’s extremely frustrating.”
It was an emotional moment for Ndlovu, who had her mother at her side when she won. “My mother has always been so supportive. She allowed me to leave home when I was 19 to be a writer and I have been so blessed.”
The fiction judges were writer and book critic Ken Barris (chair), journalist Nancy Richards and writer Wamuwi Mbao.
They described The Theory of Flight as “utterly captivating and image-rich, a beautifully resolved magical-realist novel”.
Each winner receives R100,000.