SHORTLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2019

Teeming with life and crackling with energy - a love song to modern Britain and black womanhood

'There is an astonishing uniqueness to all Bernardine Evaristo's writing, but especially in Girl, Woman, Other. How she can speak through twelve different people and give them each such distinct and vibrant voices... I loved it. So much' Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie

'Hilarious, heartbreaking & honest. Generations of women and the people they have loved and unloved - the complexities of race, sex, gender, politics, friendship, love, fear and regret. The complications of success, the difficulties of intimacy. I truly haven't enjoyed reading a book in so long' - Warsan Shire

'Didn't think I could love a Bernardine Evaristo novel more than The Emperor's Babe but with Girl, Woman, Other she might just have outdone herself' Diana Evans, author of Ordinary People

'Bernardine Evaristo can take any story from any time and turn it into something vibrating with life' Ali Smith, author of How to be both

'Bernardine Evaristo is one of those writers who should be read by everyone, everywhere. Her tales marry down-to-earth characters with engrossing story lines about identity, and the UK of today' Elif Shafak

'Witty, exhilarating and wise... Once again, Bernardine Evaristo reminds us she is one of Britain's best writers, an iconic and unique voice, filled with warmth, subtly and humanity. Exceptional' Nikesh Shukla

'Exceptional Ambitious, flowing and all-encompassing, an offbeat narrative that'll leave your mind in an invigorated whirl... [It] unites poetry, social history, women's voices and beyond. You have to order it right now' Stylist

'Exuberant, bursting at the seams in delightful ways... Evaristo continues to expand and enhance our literary canon. If you want to understand modern day Britain, this is the writer to read' New Statesman

'Girl, Woman, Other is about struggle, but it is also about love, joy and imagination' Guardian

'Evaristo's prose hums with life... At turns funny and sad, tender and true, this book deserves to win awards' Red

'Masterful... Achoral love song to black womanhood in modern Great Britain' Elle

Girl, Woman, Other follows the lives and struggles of twelve very different characters. Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their families, friends and lovers, across the country and through the years.

Joyfully polyphonic and vibrantly contemporary, this is a gloriously new kind of history, a novel of our times: celebratory, ever-dynamic and utterly irresistible.

'If you don't yet know her work, you should - she says things about modern Britain that no one else does' Maggie Gee, Guardian

Bernardine Evaristo is the Anglo-Nigerian award-winning author of seven books of fiction and verse fiction that explore aspects of the African diaspora: past, present, real, imagined. Her writing also spans short fiction, reviews, essays, drama and writing for BBC radio. She is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London and Vice Chair of the Royal Society of Literature.


As a literary activist for inclusion, Bernardine Evaristo has founded several successful initiatives including Theatre of Black Women (1982-86), Spread the Word writer development agency (1995-present); The Complete Works mentoring scheme for poets of colour (2007-17) and the Brunel International African Poetry Prize (2012 - ongoing).