The Arthur C. Clarke Award 2020 Winner
It is our great pleasure to confirm The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell as the winner of the 2020 Arthur C. Clarke Award.
Exploring the fate of three families across a century, Serpell’s ambitious debut mixes together the myths and history of her Zambian homeland in a powerful tale of retribution, politics and the meaning of home. A mesmerising blend of fairy tale, history, romance and science fiction, The Old Drift heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in fiction.
“Serpell’s The Old Drift is, as one of our judges put it, ‘stealth SF’, with inheritance and infection at its heart. It is a timely novel which interrogates colonialism from within.”
DR ANDREW M BUTLER, CHAIR OF JUDGES
The Shortlist
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