Nobel Prize winner for literature, Professor Abdulrazak Gurnah, will give the annual Edward Said Memorial Lecture at the University of Warwick on Wednesday, November 15.

The Department of English and Comparative Studies is hosting the annual public lecture, which is named after the prominent literary scholar and renowned public intellectual who died in 2003.

Professor Gurnah's highly acclaimed novels include Memory of Departure, Pilgrims Way, Dottie, Paradise, Admiring Silence, By The Sea, Desertion, The Last Gift, and Gravel Heart.

In 2021, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for ‘his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.’

His main academic interest is in postcolonial writing and in discourses associated with colonialism, especially as they relate to Africa, the Caribbean and India.

Professor Stuart Croft, Vice Chancellor and President of the University of Warwick said: “Professor Gurnah is a truly outstanding novelist and academic. His expert perspectives and views on post-colonialism, immigration and identity become ever more relevant, valuable, and insightful. We are delighted to welcome him to Warwick, and proud to be the only university in the UK that hosts the Edward Said memorial lecture series.”

Professor Paulo de Medeiros, Head of the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies, commented: “Edward Said was one of the most influential intellectuals of the twentieth century, whose thought radically changed perceptions all over the world. He was also a profound humanist, who dedicated much of his life to the questions of justice, peace, and human rights.

“The English and Comparative Literary Studies Department at Warwick is extremely honoured that this year the distinguished writer and critic, Professor Abdulrazak Gurnah, whose work shares many concerns with those of Said, will deliver the 19th Edward Said Memorial lecture.”

Following the lecture, all attendees are welcome to join a drinks reception to continue the conversation with Professor Gurnah.

Find more information about the Edward Said Memorial Lecture series here.