#  Namwali Serpell wins 2020 Arthur C. Clarke award 

 





September 23, 2020

 

 

 "Namwali Serpell has won the UK’s top prize for science fiction, the Arthur C Clarke award, for her first novel [The Old Drift](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/mar/10/the-old-drift-namwali-serpell-review), which judges described as “stealth sci-fi”.

 The Zambian author’s debut tells the stories of three families over three generations, moving from a colonial settlement by Victoria Falls at the turn of the 20th century, to the 1960s as Zambia attempts to send a woman to the moon, and into the near future. A mix of historical fiction, magical realism and sci-fi, Serpell saw off competition from authors including previous winner Adrian Tchaikovsky and Hugo best novel winner Arkady Martine to take the prize. Originally established by the author Arthur C Clarke with the aim of promoting science fiction in Britain, the award goes to the best sci-fi novel of the year."

 Read the full *Guardian* article [here](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/sep/23/namwali-serpell-wins-arthur-c-clarke-award-the-old-drift?CMP=share_btn_tw).



 

 

 



 

 

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