Johannesburg author and essayist Ivan Vladislavic has won Yale University’s Windham-Campbell 2015 prize for fiction, which is worth $150 000 (R1.7m).
His books include the acclaimed The Restless Supermarket, Portrait with Keys and Double Negative.
The other two winners of the fiction prizes are Nigerian writers Teju Cole and and Helon Habila. Each receives the cash grant. The prizes were established by Donald Windham and Sandy Campbell to recognise literary achievement and enable writers to focus on their work without having to worry about money.
They are awarded in three categories – fiction, non-fiction, and drama – and honour writers anywhere who write in English.
Fourie Botha, publisher of local fiction at Penguin Random House SA, said: “Ivan Vladislavic is an inspiration to writers and editors,” while Steve Connolly, MD of the firm, described Vladislavic’s achievement as “spectacular”.
Vladislavic has also won the University of Johannesburg Prize, the Sunday Times Fiction Prize and the Alan Paton Award for non-fiction. – Books Editor