Contemporary African Literature and Publishing: Home

Contemporary African literature is going through a period of renewed energy, with a wide range of voices gaining international attention. You may already be familiar with literary giants like Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (Kenya), Wole Soyinka (Nigeria), Chinua Achebe (Nigeria), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria), and Nadine Gordimer (South Africa). But there are also several other writers from across the continent who have recently received major literary awards:

• Abdulrazak Gurnah (Tanzania) – 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature
• Damon Galgut (South Africa) – 2021 Booker Prize, The Promise
• Mohamed Mbougar Sarr (Senegal) – 2021 Prix Goncourt, La plus secrète mémoire des hommes
• Boubacar Boris Diop (Senegal) – 2022 Neustadt International Prize, Murambi: The Book of Bones
• Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe) – 2021 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade
• David Diop (Senegal) – 2021 International Booker Prize, At Night All Blood is Black
• Kamel Daoud (Algeria) – 2024 Prix Goncourt, Houris

These authors are not only reshaping African literature—they are redefining global literature as well. 

This guide is a curated resource for readers, researchers, and enthusiasts interested in the vibrant and diverse world of African literature and publishing. Inside, you'll find directories of independent African publishers who are reshaping the literary landscape, and African literary magazines that spotlight emerging voices and experimental forms. It includes a list of African book fairs—key events that celebrate books, authors, and readers across the continent—as well as recent fiction in both French and English, showcasing the richness of modern African storytelling. The guide also highlights speculative fiction, a growing genre that blends African myth, futurism, and imagination, as well as zines and comics, where visual storytelling and grassroots publishing thrive.