In a decision that came “swift” and unanimous, the Zimbabwean writer’s 2011 prize-winning story has been crowned the most outstanding work in the Caine Prize’s 25-year history—a full-circle moment that celebrates both her journey and the future of African literature.
NoViolet Bulawayo has been awarded the inaugural Best of Caine Award for her short story “Hitting Budapest,” which originally won the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2011. The honorary prize, marking the prize’s quarter-century milestone, was announced by Chair Ellah Wakatama OBE at the Words Across Waters Afro Lit Festival at the British Library in London on September 27, 2025. Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, who chaired the judging panel alongside author Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi and film producer Tony Tagoe, praised the story’s “control of voice” and “superb evocation of a childhood vision.”
Prize winner NoViolet Bulawayo. Photograph: Nye Lyn Tho
The story follows six children from the shantytown of Paradise who venture into the wealthy Budapest neighborhood to steal guavas, capturing poverty and inequality through nine-year-old Darling’s eyes.
For Bulawayo, the recognition feels like “a moment to reflect on the journey” from her 2011 win as an unpublished writer to becoming a twice-Booker shortlisted author.
“Hitting Budapest,” first published in the Boston Review, became the opening chapter of her debut novel We Need New Names (2013), which made history as the first Booker Prize finalist by a Black African woman.
In accepting the award, Bulawayo dedicated it to “the future writers still to come, those whose voices we are yet to hear,” celebrating how past winners have gone on to “challenge, expand, enrich, and reimagine what African literature can be.” Born and raised in Zimbabwe before moving to the United States at 18, she now teaches at Cornell University, where she also earned her MFA. Her second novel, Glory (2022)—a satirical reimagining of Zimbabwe’s political upheaval—earned her a second Booker shortlist and continues her legacy of bold, unflinching storytelling.
Which NoViolet Bulawayo work resonates most with you—the raw childhood perspective of “Hitting Budapest,” (which you can read here) the acclaimed We Need New Names, or the daring political satire of Glory? Let us know in the comments.
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