Today, on the tenth anniversary of André Brink’s death, we pay tribute to his life and work and announce that the Philida Literary Award, established in his memory in 2020, goes to Hedley Twidle and is awarded to him for an oeuvre of literary excellence.
Hedley Twidle is a writer, teacher and researcher based at the University of Cape Town. His collection of essays and non-fiction, Firepool: Experiences in an Abnormal World, was published by Kwela Books in 2017. Experiments with Truth, a study of life writing and the South African transition, appeared in the African Articulation series from James Currey in 2019. A new essay collection, Show Me the Place, was published by Jonathan Ball in 2024. His work has appeared in a range of international publications, including the New Statesman, Financial Times and Harper’s magazine. Currently, he is collaborating with UCT’s Neuroscience Institute on ‘Writing Forgetting’, a project exploring the arts and literatures of dementia and memory loss. More of his writing can be found at hedleytwidle.com.
2017 Firepool: Experiences in an Abnormal World
2024 Show Me the Place
Hedley Twidle on accepting the Philida Literary Award: “I’m honoured to be the recipient of the Philida award – thanks so much for thinking of me.”
Congratulations, Hedley!
Philida Literary Award 