""I come from a place of colourful names and identity's a big part of my creative process," the 31-year-old, whose passport still says Elizabeth Tshele, explained during a book tour of neighbouring South Africa. "I needed a meaningful identity that could carry the weight of whatever I'm doing. Just being without my biological mother shaped the person I am, the way I see the world."
Bulawayo's debut novel, not entitled We Need New Names by accident, is the first by a Zimbabwean to be longlisted for the 44-year-old Man Booker Prize and is also in contention for the Guardian first book award. It has announced her as one of Africa's most luminous literary talents and, it was evident in an interview this week, a eloquent voice among a new generation of Zimbabweans unafraid and trenchant in their criticism of president Robert Mugabe."
- Ikhide
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