Boubacar Boris Diop Wins the 2022 Neustadt International Prize for Literature

Hello Gentle Reader, 
 
The Neustadt International Prize for Literature for 2022 has been awarded to the Senegalese writer Boubacar Boris Diop. Previous winner of the biennial award include: 
 
Francis Ponge (1974) 
Czesław Miłosz (1978) 
Octavio Paz (1982) 
Tomas Transmtromer (1990)
Kamau Brathwaite (1994) 
Assia Djebar (1996) 
Adam Zagajewski (2004) 
Patricia Grace (2008) 
Mia Couto (2014) 
Dubravka Ugrešić (2016) 
Ismail Kadare (2020) 
 
The listed previous laureates showcase the awards literary reach in recognizing some of the most highly regarded writers of literature; the same with nominees which include familiar names as: Doris Lessing, Wole Soyinka, Pablo Neruda, Jorge Luis Borges, Yves Bonnefoy, Mavis Gallant, Bella Ahkmadulina, Bei Dao, Nirmal Verma, Carlos Fuentes, Mirkka Rekola and Can Xue. Yet due to its biennial operation the award can be difficult to track and follow; though it is often seen as a major competitor of the Nobel Prize for Literature, as the two share similar literary tastes, and in many cases previous laureates of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. 
 
Boubacar Boris Diop is perhaps one of the most important writers to come from the former French speaking colonies of the African continent. His novels have been praised by writers such as the late Toni Morrsion, and he's been described as one of the most important contemporary African Writers. His novel "Domi Golo," is the first novel written in Wolof to be translated into English. As an intellectual and scholar, Boubacar Boris Diop is known for his critical studies of African Literature and Culture in the postcolonial context, and the attempts at the continent to regain a sense of self and identity away from the colonial perspective and cultural adjustments implemented. 
 
Congratulations are in order to Boubacar Boris Diop. The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is an honourable award in its own right, with a reputation and legacy of recognizing important, significant and lasting writers. Though it is not the Nobel (and I would not go so far as to say a competitor of the Nobel Prize) their shared perspectives and contribution to the world literary stage cannot be overlooked. Following on the heels of Abrulrazak Gurnah's Nobel Prize for Literature announcement earlier this month, the decision to award Boubacar Boris Diop the Neustadt International Prize for Literature only affirms that there is great literature being produced in the former colonies of the African Continent, but also exemplifies the changing the cultural landscape of the continent and its own perspective on the global stage. 
 
Thank-you For Reading Gentle Reader
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read

M. Mary