Applications for the 2024 Achmat Dangor Literary Prize, an award dedicated to nurturing young, previously disadvantaged writers working in all genres, are open.
The prestigious prize provides financial support to pursue an MA in Creative Writing at Wits University, ensuring that the enduring legacy of Achmat Dangor, the celebrated late South African writer and activist, inspires new generations of literary talent.
‘Writing is far more dynamic and sensitive, and it engages human beings in different responses; the reader and the writer relate to each other in different ways.’—Achmat Dangor, interview by Elaine Young, 2002
Distinguished Professor in the Creative Writing Department at Wits and acclaimed author Ivan Vladislavić says:
‘Achmat Dangor made an inestimable contribution to South African literary culture. Both deeply political and resolutely independent, he brought a wide-ranging, cosmopolitan flair to local questions and wrote some of the most provocative, challenging works in our literature, fictions that present a rich sense of life and a complex moral universe. The Achmat Dangor Literary Prize, which will give a young writer the opportunity to study and write, is a fitting tribute to Dangor, and the Creative Writing Department is delighted to provide a home for the recipient.’
Dangor’s career began in Johannesburg and extended through his studies at Rhodes University. His poetry collections, such as Bulldozer (1983) and Private Voices (1992), highlighted the brutal realities of racial segregation and societal marginalisation. His novels, including Waiting for Leila (1981), The Z Town Trilogy (1990), and the internationally acclaimed Kafka’s Curse (1997), delved into themes of alienation and identity. Bitter Fruit (2003), a finalist for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Man Booker Prize, explored the scars of post-apartheid South Africa.
In addition to his literary contributions, Dangor was a formidable activist. He was banned from 1973 to 1978 for his anti-apartheid activities and was a crucial figure in organisations such as Black Thoughts, the Writers’ Forum, and the Congress of South African Writers (Cosaw). His leadership extended to NGO roles, including the Kagiso Trust, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, where he served as CEO from 2007 to 2013. He also represented the Ford Foundation in Southern Africa and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the South African Literary Awards (Sala) in 2015.
Dangor was also a founding Patron of The JRB.
Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, a Lecturer in the Creative Writing Department at Wits University and a celebrated poet, says:
‘Achmat Dangor was a literary pioneer who fearlessly engaged the dysfunction, violence and alienation of society through believable characters and authentic settings, harnessing his imagination to tell stories that felt true. Dangor, like [James] Matthews and [Don] Mattera, his cherished contemporaries, brought Black experience into literature at a historical juncture when it was literally against the law for writers to write. It is an honour for our department to promote his legacy, for the world still needs that particular poetic: a combination of compassion and courage, a scholar of literature, and a great imagination.’
The Achmat Dangor Literary Prize is now open to young writers working in all genres (poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction), with applications closing on 15 September 2024.
The recipient will be announced in October 2024, Dangor’s birthday month, during a ceremony featuring readings of his work and an exhibition of archival materials.
The prize will be awarded every two years and will support at least four students over the next eight years.
Eligible candidates are young, previously disadvantaged writers who have completed or are completing their Honours Degrees. Candidates without such a degree may be considered based on their writing or an extensive publishing history. The prize is open to South African citizens and citizens of other African countries residing in South Africa whose writing reflects or engages with South African experiences, themes, voices and the country’s place in the world. Applications should include a comprehensive CV, a cover letter detailing their motivations and challenges and a substantial writing portfolio. The selection process, overseen by the Wits Creative Writing Department and a selection committee, will ensure fairness and transparency.
The Achmat Dangor Literary Prize is a vital component of the Achmat Dangor Legacy Project, which seeks to preserve and celebrate Dangor’s life and work. The prize is hosted by the Creative Writing Department in the School of Literature, Language and Media in collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities at Wits University.
For more information, visit the Wits Creative Writing Department here.
