The Mozambican writer has just been announced as one of the winners of the international literary prize also known as the “Oscar of books”, from PEN/AMERICA, in its 2025 edition.
The award is given to the writer's entire body of work. In an official statement from PEN AMERICA released today, the award jury thus justifies its choice.
“Mia Couto’s writing probes the troubled history of his homeland as well as the essential enigmas of human identity and existence,” it reads.
According to the same jury, Mia Couto occupied "a unique place in the landscape of African and world literature".
Couto is the first Portuguese-language writer to receive this award. The award ceremony will take place on May 8th in New York at one of the most prestigious theaters in Manhattan.
The writer will be joined by two other figures, the Lebanese-American playwright Mona Mansour, who will be honored with the PEN/Laura Pels Award from the International Theatre Foundation, and Charles H. Rowell, founder of Callaloo, a publication that celebrates writers and visual artists of African descent around the world.
(By MozaVibe)
