CERIDWEN DOVEY

Former Pietermaritzburg woman is only South African shortlisted in international writers’ competition. (Extracted from an article by Sharika Regchand appearing in the Daily News of September 23)

A former Pietermaritzburg woman is the only South African to be shortlisted in an international writers’ competition in which the winner will walk away with £60,000 (about R500,000).

Ceridwen Dovey, now a graduate student in anthropology at the University of New York, was one of six writers to be selected for one of the world’s highest-paying literary awards, the Dylan Thomas Prize.

The prize, which is sponsored by the University of Wales, was designed to encourage creative talent in writers under the age of 30. It is a global award, open to any work, from any genre.

Dovey, who was born in Pietermaritzburg and then moved to East London, wrote the book Blood Kin more than two years ago when she was studying at the University of Cape Town. She was proud to even be on the “long list” of the competition and said: “It is wonderful to represent South Africa in this way>”

Blood Kin is available at Exclusive Books.

(Extracted from an article by Sharika Regchand appearing in the Daily News of September 23)