Diana Evans has won the Jhalak prose prize for her nonfiction collection I Want to Talk to You. The book covers subjects ranging from Jean Rhys and Toni Morrison to lockdowns and the British monarchy. The Guardian reviewer Alex Clark described it as a "pleasure and an invigoration." The award was announced at a reception on Wednesday evening, marking the 10th anniversary of the prize.
Other Winners
The Jhalak children's and young adult prize was awarded to My Name is Samim by Fidan Meikle. The Guardian critic Imogen Russell Williams called it a story of "resilience, adaptability and hope." The poetry prize went to Maggie Harris for I Sing to the Greenhearts.
Prize Details
The prizes are open to books by writers of colour living in the UK and Ireland. Each award comes with £1,000. Prize director Sunny Singh said, "These are books that are urgent and necessary now and shall endure far into the future."
Judge Comments
Judge and writer Ami Rao stated that I Want to Talk to You was the unanimous choice for the prose prize. Another judge, Catherine Johnson, noted that the book is "the work of a confident author who can lead the reader into a myriad of conversations, about creativity, motherhood, and grief and music."
Evans is also the author of four novels: 26a, The Wonder, Ordinary People, and A House for Alice.
Shortlisted Titles
Other titles shortlisted for the prose award included Act Normal by Pete Kalu, Call Me Ishmaelle by Xiaolu Guo, Foreign Fruit by Katie Goh, Hail Mary by Funmi Fetto, and The South by Tash Aw.
Children's and Poetry Winners
The children's and young adult winner, My Name is Samim, follows a 13-year-old Afghan refugee who has fled to the UK. Judge Lanisha Butterfield said the book "is vital and deserves to be on school curriculums nationwide."
In I Sing to the Greenhearts, Harris "effectively uses her native Guyana's greenheart tree as a ploy to take us on a journey to explore facets of home, moving seamlessly between Patois and English," said judge Kadija Sesay. She "weaves stories of colonial past and Black British present."
Previous Winners
Previous winners of the Jhalak prize include Reni Eddo-Lodge, Guy Gunaratne, and Travis Alabanza.
