Home 5 News 5 First Black Female Booker Prize winner writes her memoir ‘Manifesto’

First Black Female Booker Prize winner writes her memoir ‘Manifesto’

by | Mar 29, 2021 | News

Booker Prize winner Bernardine Evaristo is writing her first non-fiction book, Manifesto, a memoir detailing her personal and literary journey over 40 years.

The memoir is part of a recent three-book deal between the author, who became the first black woman to win the Booker Prize in 2019, and Hamish Hamilton. As part of the deal, Evaristo is also signed for a new novel and debut short story collection, according to The Bookseller.

Manifesto, scheduled for release in October, will trace Evaristo’s experiences, touching on issues of race, class and gender, and her path towards success.

“It’s been in the works for quite a while. I wanted to write a non-fiction book that looks at how my life and my background and my politics has shaped my creativity and brought me to this place in my career. It’s a great place to be, but it’s been a very long journey, over 40 years. This felt like the right time, having reached this position as a writer, to reflect back on how I got here.”

She added: “I want it to be for the general reader – including people in the arts, but for anyone who’s interested in looking at how we create the lives we want for ourselves, which might mean breaking with convention and tradition …”

It was Evaristo’s eighth novel, 2019’s Girl, Woman, Other, that earned her multiple accolades and praise from figures such as former US president Barack Obama and writer Roxane Gay.

Hamish Hamilton publishing director Simon Prosser described the author’s Booker win as “a revolutionary moment for British culture”.

He added: “After over three decades as a trailblazing writer, teacher and activist, she moved from the margins to centre stage, taking her place in the spotlight at last. Her journey was a long one, but she made it, and she made history.”

Nielsen BookScan estimates that more than a quarter of a million copies of the Girl, Woman, Other paperback have been sold so far.

The launch of Manifesto will be marked by a live event at London’s Southbank Centre in October, which will include a discussion with Evaristo about the new book. Tickets for the event will go on sale in early July.

Source: The National

Recent News

01Jun
“Bad Words” Sparks 10-Way Auction

“Bad Words” Sparks 10-Way Auction

HarperFiction UK and St Martin’s Press in the US have acquired the perfect debut for anyone who works in the publishing industry.  Entitled Bad Words it is set in the world of publishing and follows the fall-out from a poisonous review.   The synopsis says: “Parker Navarro’s debut was snapped up in a million-dollar deal […]

01Jun
Uncovering a forgotten tale of heroism from the heart of Amsterdam

Uncovering a forgotten tale of heroism from the heart of Amsterdam

The story of the Dutch nursery workers who saved 600 Jewish children from the Nazis is little known outside the Netherlands.  Now the UK’s Virago is hoping to bring it to a wider audience with Susan B Katz and Esther Shaya’s Angels of Amsterdam which Sarah Savitt, Virago publisher, acquired from Laura Mamelok, subsidary rights […]

29May
Agatha Christie “teaches” again through AI

Agatha Christie “teaches” again through AI

There has been a mixed reaction to BBC Maestro’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Agatha Christie which sees the world’s most famous crime novelist ‘teaching’ the tricks of her trade to would-be crime writers.  Some have hailed it as wonderfully creative, others as “a bit Frankenstein”. According to the Bookseller, an actor, whose face and voice have […]

Related Posts

Uncovering a forgotten tale of heroism from the heart of Amsterdam

Uncovering a forgotten tale of heroism from the heart of Amsterdam

The story of the Dutch nursery workers who saved 600 Jewish children from the Nazis is little known outside the Netherlands.  Now the UK’s Virago is hoping to bring it to a wider audience with Susan B Katz and Esther Shaya’s Angels of Amsterdam which Sarah Savitt,...

Agatha Christie “teaches” again through AI

Agatha Christie “teaches” again through AI

There has been a mixed reaction to BBC Maestro’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Agatha Christie which sees the world’s most famous crime novelist ‘teaching’ the tricks of her trade to would-be crime writers.  Some have hailed it as wonderfully creative, others as “a bit...

Al-Sayyab’s House to Become Literary Museum

Al-Sayyab’s House to Become Literary Museum

A significant project to rehabilitate the historic house of iconic Iraqi poet Badr Shakir Al-Sayyab in Basra was launched this month. The initiative aims to transform the residence in Jaykur, Abu Al-Khaseeb, into a literary museum dedicated to the pioneer of poetic...

Previous Next
Close
Test Caption
Test Description goes like this