We Need New Names

We Need New Names is a “before” and “after” kind of novel, the kind that marks a new beginning, a new shift in the African literary tradition … To me, it is a complete novel in terms of aesthetics and politics – Mukoma Wa Ngugi * The Rise of the African Novel *Bulawayo’s novel is not just a stunning piece of literary craftsmanship but also a novel that helps elucidate today’s world * Daily Telegraph *The challenging rhythm and infectious language of NoViolet Bulawayo’s emotionally articulate novel turns a familar tale of immigrant displacement into a heroic ballad. Bulawayo’s courage and her literary scope shine out from this outstanding debut * Daily Mail *Darling is 10 when we first meet her, and the voice Ms. Bulawayo has fashioned for her is utterly distinctive — by turns unsparing and lyrical, unsentimental and poetic, spiky and meditative… stunning novel… remarkably talented author * New York Times *Often heartbreaking, but also pulsing with colour and energy * The Times (Saturday Review) *Extraordinary * Daily Telegraph *Creates a fictional world that is immediate, fresh, and identifies the arrival of a talented writer * Sunday Times (Culture) *NoViolet Bulawayo uses words potently, blending brutality and lyricism in her unflinching, bittersweet story of displacement * Observer *A really talented and ambitious author * Guardian *A debut that blends wit and pain… heartrending… wonderfully original * Independent *

NoViolet Bulawayo grew up in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. When she was eighteen, she moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Her first novel, We Need New Names, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the Guardian First Book Award and the Barnes & Noble Discover Award, and won a Betty Trask Award, Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, Hurston-Wright Legacy Award, the Etisalat Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction. She has also won the Caine Prize for African Writing and a National Book Award’s ‘5 Under 35’. NoViolet earned her MFA at Cornell University, and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, where she taught fiction. She currently writes full-time, from wherever she finds herself.

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