Namwali Serpell Books
Namwali Serpell is a Zambian writer and professor of English at Harvard University. Born in Lusaka, she has received numerous literary awards, including the Caine Prize for African Writing and the Windham-Campbell Prize.
Known for: The Old Drift
Books by Namwali Serpell
The Old Drift
A sweeping multigenerational saga set in Zambia, blending historical fiction, magical realism, and speculative elements. The novel traces the intertwined lives of three families—one African, one European, and one Indian—from the colonial era through independence and into a near-future Zambia shaped by technology and social change.
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The Colonial Encounter and Percy M. Clark
The story begins with Percy M. Clark, an eccentric British photographer who arrives in the early 1900s at the Old Drift settlement along the Zambezi River. Clark embodies the restless, presumptuous curiosity of empire—he believes his camera and wit can master a continent that seems, to his eyes, bot...
From The Old Drift
Sibilla and the Emergence of the African Lineage
Sibilla’s story moves us from the colonial masculine gaze to the intimate sphere of the African experience. Sibilla is marked by illness—her body becomes a site of both suffering and revelation. Her isolation draws attention to the intersections of race, gender, and colonial legacy. Through her, I w...
From The Old Drift
About Namwali Serpell
Namwali Serpell is a Zambian writer and professor of English at Harvard University. Born in Lusaka, she has received numerous literary awards, including the Caine Prize for African Writing and the Windham-Campbell Prize. Her work often explores identity, history, and the intersections of science and...
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Namwali Serpell is a Zambian writer and professor of English at Harvard University. Born in Lusaka, she has received numerous literary awards, including the Caine Prize for African Writing and the Windham-Campbell Prize. Her work often explores identity, history, and the intersections of science and...
Namwali Serpell is a Zambian writer and professor of English at Harvard University. Born in Lusaka, she has received numerous literary awards, including the Caine Prize for African Writing and the Windham-Campbell Prize. Her work often explores identity, history, and the intersections of science and storytelling.
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Namwali Serpell is a Zambian writer and professor of English at Harvard University. Born in Lusaka, she has received numerous literary awards, including the Caine Prize for African Writing and the Windham-Campbell Prize.
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