"A sincere congratulations goes to Henrietta Rose-Innes, who was named the winner of the 2023 UJ Prize for Translation for her translation of Die biblioteek aan die einde van die wêreld into English from the original Afrikaans," said UJ in a statement.
Rose-Innes' notable works include the novels Shark’s Egg, The Rock Alphabet, and Nineveh, along with the captivating short-story collection Homing.
She has garnered prestigious accolades, such as the South African PEN Literary Award in 2007 and the esteemed Caine Prize for African Writing the following year. Nineveh, one of her novels, achieved recognition by being shortlisted for the 2012 Sunday Times Fiction Prize and an M-Net Literary Award.
Henrietta's compelling short stories have graced the pages of various international publications, including Granta, AGNI, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2011.
The panel of judges for the 2023 UJ Prize for Translation were Prof Ilse Feinauer - Stellenbosch University (SU), Prof Thys Human - North-West University (NWU) and Mr Marius Swart (SU). Prof Human acted as the coordinator of the Translation Prize.
This accolade acknowledges the remarkable achievements of translators in the realm of literary translation. UJ received a multitude of entries, each demonstrating remarkable quality, making the process of shortlisting both demanding and rewarding. The UJ Prize for Translation is awarded for the translation of a text from any language into any one of the official South African languages.
