Cornell Lecturer Wins the Caine Prize for African Writing

Elizabeth Tshele, a lecturer in the department of English and the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University, won the Caine Prize for African writing for her short story, “Hitting Budapest.” The story, published in the Boston Review, is about six children from a shanty town in Zimbabwe who wander into an affluent white suburban community. Tshele uses the pen name, NoViolet Bulawayo.

The Caine Prize, which comes with a £10,000 cash award and the opportunity to serve a term as writer-in-residence at Georgetown University, is considered Africa’s leading literary honor.

Tshele is a graduate of Texas A&M University Commerce. She holds a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University and a master or fine arts degree from Cornell University.