Bernardine Evaristo

British author and academic (1959-) · United Kingdom · On the map · Writers

Bernardine Anne Mobolaji Evaristo is an English author and Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University of London. She is Visiting Professor of Creative Media 2025/6 at the University of Oxford.

Bernardine Evaristo is read about 180 times a day, in 30 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 104 days, one point a day.

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A life in dates

2021Freedom of the Royal Borough of GreenwichAward2020Officer of the Order of the British EmpireAward2019“I wanted to put presence into absence. I was very frustrated that black British women weren't visible in literature.”In their words27 April 2019The GuardianRead the whole statement

“With all of my books I'm interested in where people come from in relation to who they are.”In their words27 April 2019The GuardianRead the whole statement

“I have a term I came up with called fusion fiction - that's what it felt like, with the absence of full stops, the long sentences.”In their words27 April 2019The GuardianRead the whole statement

Booker PrizeAward2014Jerwood Fiction Uncovered PrizeAward2006Fellow of the Royal Society of ArtsAward2004Fellow of the Royal Society of LiteratureAward1959Born

Also in Deutsch

Media & music

Photos 2

Evaristo speaking at an event.

In their own words 2

Bernardine Evaristo

2 statements, newest first

I'm not interested in any stereotypes whatsoever.
On how she realizes her characters in "Bernardine Evaristo interview: 'I'm not interested in any stereotypes whatsoever'", The Telegraph, Own words
When you're a slave you dream / of either owning slaves or freeing them.
, Own words

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Awards

Freedom of the Royal Borough of Greenwich2021

Officer of the Order of the British Empire2020

Booker Prize2019

Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize2014

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts2006

Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature2004

Fellow of the English Association

About this person

Her novel Girl, Woman, Other jointly won the Booker Prize in 2019 alongside Margaret Atwood's The Testaments, making her the first black woman to win the Booker. The novel won many other awards including two British Book awards. In 2025, Evaristo was selected from among all previous Women's Prize for Fiction winners and nominees as the recipient of the Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award, a one-off literary honour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Women's Prize for Fiction. She served for four years as President of the Royal Society of Literature, the second woman and the first Black or Asian person to hold the role since it was founded in 1820. She was elected President Emerita once her tenure was completed in 2025.

Country

United Kingdom