Lauren Liebenberg
Encyclopedia
Lauren Liebenberg is a Rhodesia
-raised South African writer. Her debut novel
The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam was nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction
in 2008, the sole African entry that year to receive a nomination. The novel draws upon her experiences as a child in Rhodesia
during the Rhodesian Bush War
.
and in her adolescence left newly independent Zimbabwe
for Johannesburg
in neighbouring South Africa where her father began working in the gold mining industry. She attended Brescia House School, an independent Catholic day school for girls situated in Bryanston
. She later graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand
with an MBA and later lived overseas. She worked in merchant banking and published articles in the field of financial markets. She is married to an Englishman and they live in Johannesburg with their two children. She revealed in an interview; "I do regard myself as South African."
Her debut novel
, The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam drew warm praise from critics when it was published in 2008. The Financial Times
described it as an "elegiac first novel [that] captures the insular vulnerability of this white African childhood." The Guardian
described it as "immediate, vivid and rarely judgmental" and expanded that "The details are astonishingly vivid: Rhodesia springs to fecund, fetid life before your eyes. What's especially impressive is the way Liebenberg avoids the overcooked beauty that characterises so many self-consciously "literary" first efforts." The Times
described it as a "touching debut". The Daily Mail
wrote that it was an "outstanding first novel". The novel was also serialized by The Independent
.
As well as seeing her novel shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction
, Liebenberg was one of only three women to be nominated for the Orange Award for New Female Writers. Her novel was also shortlisted for the Orange Debut Award. In 2010 the novel was longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
.
Her follow-up novel, The West Rand Jive Cats Boxing Club will be released in the United Kingdom on 7 April 2011.
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
-raised South African writer. Her debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam was nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction
Orange Prize for Fiction
The Orange Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, annually awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year...
in 2008, the sole African entry that year to receive a nomination. The novel draws upon her experiences as a child in Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
during the Rhodesian Bush War
Rhodesian Bush War
The Rhodesian Bush War – also known as the Second Chimurenga or the Zimbabwe War of Liberation – was a civil war which took place between July 1964 and December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia...
.
Background
Liebenberg was raised in RhodesiaRhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
and in her adolescence left newly independent Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
for Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
in neighbouring South Africa where her father began working in the gold mining industry. She attended Brescia House School, an independent Catholic day school for girls situated in Bryanston
Bryanston, Gauteng
Bryanston is an upper class, wealthy residential suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. First named as an area in 1949, it was established in 1969 as a suburb of Sandton and provided with tarred roads and municipal services, but after municipal boundaries were revised following the end of Apartheid,...
. She later graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
with an MBA and later lived overseas. She worked in merchant banking and published articles in the field of financial markets. She is married to an Englishman and they live in Johannesburg with their two children. She revealed in an interview; "I do regard myself as South African."
Her debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
, The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam drew warm praise from critics when it was published in 2008. The Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
described it as an "elegiac first novel [that] captures the insular vulnerability of this white African childhood." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described it as "immediate, vivid and rarely judgmental" and expanded that "The details are astonishingly vivid: Rhodesia springs to fecund, fetid life before your eyes. What's especially impressive is the way Liebenberg avoids the overcooked beauty that characterises so many self-consciously "literary" first efforts." The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described it as a "touching debut". The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
wrote that it was an "outstanding first novel". The novel was also serialized by The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
.
As well as seeing her novel shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction
Orange Prize for Fiction
The Orange Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, annually awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year...
, Liebenberg was one of only three women to be nominated for the Orange Award for New Female Writers. Her novel was also shortlisted for the Orange Debut Award. In 2010 the novel was longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is an international literary award for a work of fiction, jointly sponsored by the city of Dublin, Ireland and the company IMPAC. At €100,000 it is one of the richest literary prizes in the world...
.
Her follow-up novel, The West Rand Jive Cats Boxing Club will be released in the United Kingdom on 7 April 2011.