Booker Prize Winner 2021

The winner of the 2021 Booker Prize for fiction was announced this week, with South African author Damon Galgut receiving the £50,000 prize for his novel, The Promise. 

Set on a farm outside Pretoria, a privileged white family gathers for the funeral of matriarch Rachel. Their faithful black maid Salome lives on the property and was promised the deed to her home by Rachel on her deathbed. Despite this promise, and the constant reminders from the youngest daughter Amor, the family does not act to transfer ownership and conflict ensues. 

Galgut was previously shortlisted for the Booker for his novels The Good Doctor (2003) and In a Strange Room (2010). 

Chair of the Judging panel, historian Maya Jasanoff, said of The Promise:

'We felt among the judges that this book really is a tour de force. It combines an extraordinary story with rich themes – the history of the last 40 years in South Africa – in an incredibly well-wrought package.'

Here is the moment that the winner was announced and the award was presented to Damon Galgut.

During the award ceremony, short films were aired for each of the shortlisted titles. The film for The Promise is directed by Christine Ubochi and stars David Jonnson.

I have not yet read The Promise but have it on my teetering stack of books to be read.