In the history of letters, Abdulrazak Gurnah is one of the names that keeps being returned to.
The record lists Abdulrazak Gurnah as Tanzanian-born British writer, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (2021) (born 1948).
Abdulrazak Gurnah was born at Zanzibar City in 1948. His recorded nationality is Tanzania. He was educated at University of Kent and University of London.
Twentieth-century writing was shaped by war, exile and translation; many of its major careers were conducted across more than one language and country.
He worked as novelist, university teacher and prose writer.
The writing is recorded in English and Swahili.
His work is classed as prose.
Among his best-known works are Desertion, Paradise and Gravel Heart. A writer's real subject usually becomes visible only across the whole body of work.
Recognition followed: Nobel Prize in Literature (2021).
That the work was written from Tanzania matters: language, censorship and the reach of a publishing industry decide which books travel and which stay local.
Achievements
- Nobel Prize in Literature — 2021
- Notable work: Desertion
- Notable work: Paradise
- Notable work: Gravel Heart
- Notable work: By the Sea
- Genres: prose
.jpg)
