Which South African writer won the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature?

Nadine Gordimer won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991.

The Swedish Academy honored her writing for its magnificent epic portrayal of the effects of apartheid. Gordimer’s novels and stories examined race, politics, moral responsibility and private life in South Africa.

Her major novels include A Guest of Honour, Burger’s Daughter, July’s People and A Sport of Nature. Several of her books were banned or restricted by the apartheid government, reflecting the political pressure surrounding her work.

Gordimer was the first South African woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. She is sometimes confused with J. M. Coetzee, another South African Nobel laureate, who won in 2003. Gordimer’s award came two years before South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994.