Mozambican writer Mia Couto has been honoured with one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world: the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature, presented by the American organisation PEN America. The award ceremony will take place on 8 May 2025 in New York, and will be attended by major names in international literature.
This lifetime achievement award recognises Mia Couto's contribution to world literature, highlighting the singular way in which the author has explored Mozambique's complex history, questions of identity and the enigmas of human existence. Mia Couto's work, written in Portuguese, has been celebrated both on the African continent and beyond its borders, consolidating his place as one of the most important literary voices of our time.
In the official statement, the prize jury said that Mia Couto occupies “a singular place in the landscape of African and world literature”, also highlighting the impact of works such as Terra Sonâmbula (1992), Confissão da Leoa (2012), and the trilogy As Areias do Imperador (2015–2018), the latter a finalist for the International Booker Prize.
This recognition joins a long list of prizes and distinctions that Mia Couto has received throughout his career, reaffirming the transformative power of the word and the capacity of Mozambican literature to cross borders.
With this award, Mia Couto not only raises Mozambique's name on the international stage, but also reinforces the value of our language and culture in the global literary universe.
