"The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and the African Imaginary: Transnational African Writing from Ralph Bunche to Teju Cole," a Lecture by Jamie Hickner

The writer is one who places her ear to a wall that no one else can see and transcribes, as best as she is able, the sounds coming through from the other side.

– Teju Cole,Anisfield-Wolf Book Award Acceptance Speech, 2024

This talk draws on my research on the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and transnational African discourse. First, I will share a brief history of the book award, including my recent research on the prize’s judges, juries, and influence. Next, I’ll share my work-in-progress, which considers how Anisfield-Wolf writers have shaped the African imaginary, contributed to social justice, addressed gaps in the historical record, and represented the diverse cultures and identities of the African diaspora. The prize has been awarded to more than thirty books that specifically address the politics, history, and culture of Africa, including nonfiction, fiction, poetry, plays, and memoir by Ralph Bunche, Alan Paton, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Adrienne Kennedy, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Paule Marshall, Wole Soyinka, Namwali Serpell, and others. I’ll conclude the talk by sharing some insights on the work of Teju Cole, whose latest novel, Tremor,was awarded the 2024 Anisfield-Wolf prize for fiction.

Jamie Hickner (she/her/hers) is an English Lecturer and an Anisfield-Wolf Teaching Fellow. She writes and teaches about race, transnational and world literature, cultural production by the African diaspora, and educational equity. Current projects include editing a collection of pedagogy essays on the works of Anisfield-Wolf Book Award-winning writers, researching the history of the prize, and writing a book on transnational African writers.

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