Praised by the likes of Salman Rushdie and Ali Smith, Namwali Serpell's debut novel The Old Drift reputedly took her nearly 20 years to write.
It weaves together "...ideas and experiences of colonialism, the HIV crisis, the Zambian space programme and political revolution" in the magical realist tradition.
Now a Professor of English at UC Berkeley, Serpell grew up in Zambia before moving to the US.
She will be appearing this weekend in Wellington at two events as part of the New Zealand Festival of the Arts, Namwali Serpell: The Old Drift and Real Imaginary Lives
Namwali Serpell and the cover of her book "The Old Drift" Photo: supplied
