By Prisca Sam-Duru
Africa’s literary colossus, Professor Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, made history on Tuesday, when he was longlisted among twelve other authors for the 2021 International Booker Prize, as both author and translator of the same book, ‘The Perfect Nine’, as well as the first nominee writing in an indigenous African Language.
With his nomination, Prof Wa Thiong’o, an 83-year-old renowned author of “Weep Not Child”, becomes the first nominee writing in an indigenous African language. A perennial Nobel Prize favourite, the Africa’s literary giant is among 13 authors nominated for the award for best translated fiction, a £50,000 prize split evenly between author and translator.