Bernardine Evaristo
One of Elif Shafak’s selected writers for the International Literature Showcase
“Bernardine Evaristo is one of those writers who should be read by everyone, everywhere. Her tales marry down-to-earth characters with engrossing story lines about identity, and the UK of today.” – Elif Shafak
<< Explore Elif’s list of great UK women writers
Afro Saxon Amazon, experimenter, comedy & tragedy, activist for inclusion
Bernardine Evaristo jointly won the Booker Prize 2019 with her eighth book, Girl, Woman, Other, making her the first black woman to win the prize in its history. It was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller for five weeks. Her writing explores the African diaspora: past, present, real imagined and includes novels Mr Loverman (2014) and Blonde Roots (2008). She is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and its current Vice Chair. She received an OBE in 2020 and an MBE in 2009. In October 2021, her first non-fiction book, Manifesto: On Never Giving Up, will be published by Penguin UK.
‘If you don’t yet know her work, you should – she says things about modern Britain that no one else does’ — Guardian on Mr Loverman
‘I’m a fan of Evaristo, who can take any story from any time and give it a new or unexpected shape, turn it into something vibrating with life, always with a great deal of witty fun and mischief.’ Ali Smith, Scotsman on Sunday
‘Beyond her pithy prose and engaging characters, Evaristo, as she did with The Emperor’s Babe, tells a hugely imaginative tale that invites important debate, challenging fundamental perceptions of race, culture and history.’ Independent on Sunday on Blonde Roots
‘Evaristo revels in meshing time frames, juggling spoken and narrative registers, fusing the glaringly incompatible, and here, flipping between free-style verse, prose and dramatic dialogue. The secret of her alchemical touch lies in transforming this experimentation into funky yarns so tantalising you want to devour them.’ The Guardian on Soul Tourists
‘Lara is a short, lyrical, vividly real novel-in-verse, dipping 150 years into the past to explore the family history of a British woman with a Nigerian father and English mother. It’s funny, touching, informative, passionate and very easy to read. If you’re tired of novels that all seem the same, this one’s a complete original.’ Telegraph on Lara.
“I welcome all opportunities to reach a wider audience and I’m delighted that Elif Shafak included me in her list.” – Bernardine
Image credit Jennie Scott