Lindani Mbunyuza wins the Dinaane Debut Fiction Award for her manuscript, Buried in the Chest!

Since 2004, the Dinaane Debut Fiction Award has given authors the opportunity to launch their literary careers in South Africa and beyond. Over 60 submissions were received for this award this year, making the decision for this year’s winner the hardest yet. At the Winner Announcement Ceremony on July 11th, Lindani Mbunyuza-Memani was announced as the recipient of the award for her standout manuscript, Buried in the Chest.

Lindani Mbunyuza-Memani recently graduated with an MA in English Literature and an MFA in Creative Writing from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Buried in the Chest is set in post-apartheid South Africa and explores themes of cultural identity and self-discovery. The story follows Unathi, a young woman searching for her mother. While navigating her complex upbringing, Unathi faces the realities of surviving with intersecting identities.

This manuscript stood out to the panel of judges led by Head Judge Rehana Rossouw, as well as Jennifer Malec and Robert Muponde. The judges praised Lindani’s work:

Buried in the Chest deals with familiar themes in South African writing, but with an approach that is astonishingly fresh and accomplished. The author interrogates the painful history of apartheid with a unique literary approach, and the book lingers in the heart and mind long after reading. This poetic novel is the kind of inventive truth-telling South Africa urgently needs as we continue to grapple with the past and imagine a better future for all.

Lindani will receive a R35,000 cash prize, a publication deal with Jacana Media, and international rights representation by Pontas Literacy and Film Agency, based in Barcelona, Spain. Each component of the Dinaane Debut Fiction Award will support Lindani as she progresses in her literary career.

Jacana Media’s Publishing Director Maggie Davey is “thrilled to recognise Lindani Mbunyuza-Memani for her exceptional debut.” Bridget Impey, another Jacana Media Publishing Director, is “delighted that the Pontas Agency will accompany Lidani on her future literary journey.”

Lindani Mbunyuza-Memani was honored to receive the Dinaane Debut Fiction Award. Moments after receiving the award, Lindani expressed the overwhelming gratitude she felt:

I am deeply honoured to receive the 2024 Dinaane Debut Fiction Award. I thank Rehana and the panel of judges, Jacana, and everyone involved in making this possible. This journey began as a part of my MFA, where this novel first took shape. After some time on the shelf, it found new life with the encouragement of my husband to publish. I am committed to writing and exploring new narratives, yet my heart and my dreams remain deeply connected to my homeland, South Africa.

Congratulations to Lindani Mbunyuza-Memani on this extraordinary achievement!